College Football Phenom Predicted as Aaron Rodgers’ Replacement

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Brendan Howe | Last updated Jun 17, 2025 8:00 AM ET

Aaron Rodgers arrived to join Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. Well-known pundit Skip Bayless doesn’t believe the marriage between the future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback and the storied franchise will last long. A rocky relationship could yield Arch Manning, however.

“I hurt for Steelers fans because you want to talk about a cornerstone, highly respected franchise until now,” Bayless said on “The Skip Bayless Show.” “(Eight) years since you won a playoff game and now, it sure appears that you could be the front-runner in what I presume is going to be the Arch Manning derby next year.

"You just could have the worst record in the league, especially stuck in that division with that new quarterback.”

Not if On3’s J.D. PicKell’s forecast turns out to be the case. PicKell said last month that he doesn’t believe Manning will be among the signal-callers to throw their hats into the 2026 NFL Draft ring. Sitting behind Quinn Ewers with the Texas Longhorns the past two seasons, Manning could have transferred out for a quicker starting opportunity.

“He was like, ‘Nah, I’m cool. I came here to develop. Gonna wait another year to develop. I’ll have my time. It’ll be my time when it’s my time,” PicKell said. “Arch Manning and his camp, they’re focused on sticking in the NFL.

“It’s all about being ready for when it’s his time to go play on Sundays. … I do not see a world where he leaves Texas with more eligibility left.”

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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