Aaron Rodgers to Steelers: Ecstatic Stephen A. Smith Says Pittsburgh Has Got an Upgrade from Russell Wilson & Justin Fields

Now that the former Green Bay Packer, Aaron Rodgers, has officially signed with his former Super Bowl rivals, the Pittsburgh Steelers, fans and analysts alike are beginning to set forth their initial expectations for the 41-year-old veteran. Even though most are tempering their expectations for Rodgers as he prepares for the 21st season of his professional career, he’s still liable to be held to somewhat respectable standards. 

For example, if the four-time MVP were to somehow be outplayed by the likes of the Cleveland Brown’s rookie sensation, Shedeur Sanders, that would be an infuriatingly bad look according to one Stephen A. Smith. During the most recent segment on his self-titled YouTube show, the flagship personality of ESPN admitted that, as a “lifelong Steelers fan,” the news excited him.

Of course, as with everything involving the inflammatory talk-show host, Smith’s excitement comes with a caveat.

“Let me be very clear. I’m ecstatic because you ain’t have no damn quarterback. I know Aaron Rodgers wasn’t great last year. I know Aaron Rodgers hasn’t been great the last several years. But here’s the bottom line, this is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. On his worst day he’s better than an average quarterback.”

Even though the Steelers “desperately needed” Rodgers, Smith suggests that he’s still likely to be an improvement over the group of signal callers that the team has featured throughout the last several seasons. According to the long-tenured analyst, Rodgers’ profile as a player is as volatile as it gets.

Given the implied risk that comes with Rodgers’ age and dwindling stat sheets, Smith went as far as to suggest that, while he’s excited for now, the thought of the veteran QB getting outplayed by the likes of Shedeur Sanders in a divisional matchup would be bad for his blood pressure.

In light of the positive reports involving the former Buffalo that are steadily flowing out of Cleveland’s camp right now, Smith suggests that Rodgers could be facing off against the second-generation rookie before making his exit from the league. Even worse, however, is the thought of Sanders potentially outplaying Rodgers.

“If that damn Shedeur Sanders, who dropped to the fifth round and the 144th overall pick, ends up being better this season, assuming he’s going to get the QB1 spot… If Shedeur Sanders wins this job, and he’s the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns, and he goes out there and balls, I am going to be pi--ed.”

After Smith ultimately noted that he is still very much of the opinion that NFL owners colluded against Sanders ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, he insisted that Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff would have been thrilled to select Sanders at an early point in the draft.

Nevertheless, Smith will now have to worry about the quarterback who was once touted as being the second-best prospect of his class sitting opposite his Pittsburgh Steelers at least twice a season for the foreseeable future. Then again, considering every franchise had an opportunity to pass on him in the draft on numerous occasions, a breakout campaign in Sanders’ rookie year would likely cause a bit of heartbreak for football fans across the nation.