The Aaron Rodgers saga is officially over, as the veteran quarterback has informed the Steelers that he will, in fact, be signing with them. Rodgers, now 41 years old, is in the final stretch of his career. While it took months for him to finalize a deal with Pittsburgh, it was widely believed that he had already given the Steelers a verbal commitment.
“I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he’s told [the Steelers], 'Listen, I'm gonna play for you. I just don’t want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I'm pretty sure they're gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction where I can give you my all,’” Ian O’Connor said.
With Rodgers signing, the biggest loser in the equation may be the Atlanta Falcons, who are now committed to Kirk Cousins’ contract.
“That stinks for Cousins, and the Falcons may not be too thrilled about running out of trade options either. While Atlanta has said it is 'comfortable' keeping Cousins around as its backup, general manager Terry Fontenot can't be eager to hand out a $27.5 million salary to his QB2,” wrote Bleacher Report’s Kristopher Knox.
However, the Falcons might not be the only team facing challenges. According to Ryan Clark, this could actually be a worst-case scenario for the Steelers—particularly because Rodgers is likely only a short-term solution.
“Aaron Rodgers signing with the Steelers is the worse case scenario. I think he’ll play good enough, & the team will be just good enough to miss out on a franchise guy next year! One of the greatest players of the era, & one of its greatest head coaches… just years too late,” Clark said.
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Clark clearly believes this move could hurt Pittsburgh’s long-term future. While Rodgers might provide a short-term boost, the team could find itself stuck in mediocrity—missing the playoffs and missing out on a top quarterback in next year’s draft.