
The Pittsburgh Steelers have had no sense of stability at the quarterback position in recent seasons. With just about as much confusion at the position as completed passes by such players, the Steelers are unlikely to improve on that in the coming season.
With a historically weak QB class and little as far as the free agent market goes for quarterbacks, the Steelers may have to go back to the enigma that is Aaron Rodgers at the position. That is, if he even wants to return.
There has been no indication as of yet if Rodgers has any real interest in joining the team next season. From the Steelers side, the new coaching hire of Mike McCarthy could hint at leaning Rodgers way, but otherwise little from that end either. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Brian Batko sought to analyze when a Rodgers answer could come, landing on near the NFL Draft during his time on the Post-Gazette's North Shore Drive podcast recently.
"I think we'll get a decision before then. Maybe it's just wishful thinking on my part. I'll go ahead and say yes, I don't feel great about it... The conversations at this point last year were probably more about selling Aaron on the Steelers, or quote unquote recruiting him," Batko said.
With the Steelers hosting the draft and having a plethora of picks across all seven rounds, it is hard to believe that they would not be able to get something done at the position. Yet, with little high-end talent, the team will have to rely on the mysterious Rodgers to know whether or not their situation will be addressed by the time their selections have to be in.
The uncertainty between the two groups causes issues when it comes to the NFL Draft due to the fact that the Steelers could change their entire draft strategy to revolve around a quarterback. While it is hard to imagine them landing any high-end talent at the position in this year's draft, they might be scouting a player they really like, and could use draft capital to move up and select him. With that in mind, they would need to know where Rodgers stands before using up draft picks in either a selection or trade move.
The Steelers are no stranger to the "uncertain deadline" dynamic that they currently have going on with Rodgers. This is the second straight season that the Steelers will be dealing with an unclear deadline for Rodgers, who did not make his decision last season until just before camp started up.
Like the last time around, expect Rodgers to make media appearances where he is asked about the team, and he will likely dodge the question until the decision is finalized in one way or another. Whether or not Rodgers gives them the best chance to win next season is uncertain, but he is the most likely option for them as it stands at this point.
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