Former NFL player blasts Steelers over contract as Aaron Rodgers reports for OTAs

Days after it was learned that Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers had officially come to terms on a one-year contract for Rodgers to remain Pittsburgh's starting quarterback for another season, he was spotted at the Steelers' facility for the start of OTAs on Monday. 

During a Monday segment of the ESPN "Unsportsmanlike" program, former NFL player and current analyst Chris Canty blasted the Steelers for the deal they gave Rodgers this spring. 

Aaron Rodgers only produces "long handoffs" at this stage of his career?

"When you look at what they paid to bring Aaron Rodgers back, it's absolutely ridiculous," Canty said about Pittsburgh, per Josh Carney of Steelers Depot. "Twenty-two million for a quarterback that had the shortest average distance of completions in the NFL. The average distance of completions for Aaron Rodgers last season was 3.7 yards. All he does is long handoffs. That's all he does."

Rodgers reportedly will earn a base salary between $22M and $23M for the 2026 season per the terms of a deal that could be worth up to $25M. Meanwhile, Pro Football Reference stats show that he ended the 2025 regular season ranked 27th in the NFL among qualified players with a 44.4 adjusted QBR and 14th with a 94.8 passer rating.

Additionally, Rodgers looked like a quarterback in the twilight of his career when he had a fourth-quarter fumble and a fourth-quarter interception returned for touchdowns in a 24-point wild-card playoff loss to the Houston Texans this past January. Nevertheless, the Steelers clearly acted over the first few months of the new league year as if Rodgers was already atop the club's depth chart. 

While Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy seems to believe Rodgers can be at least a successful game manager this coming fall, Canty suggested that Pittsburgh could have acquired a better option at the position. 

Teams know Aaron Rodgers "doesn't wanna get hit?"

"Aaron Rodgers is still able to compete because of what he knows, but the book is out," Canty continued. "Team's got projectors. They're watching film. They know Aaron Rodgers ain't willing to hold onto the ball. He doesn't wanna get hit. There ain't a 42-year-old out there that wants to get hit by a 330-pound NFL lineman. I get it. But if you're the Pittsburgh Steelers, you gotta know what you're signing up for. And to me, to wait around all offseason long past the draft for this guy to bestow his presence on you for the production that he gave you last year is wild."

Rodgers' first opportunity to respond to critics with his play will arrive when the Steelers open the 2026 season with a home game versus the Atlanta Falcons on Sept. 13.