NFL insider reveals if Steelers' Mike McCarthy could make shocking Aaron Rodgers move

The offense of the Pittsburgh Steelers and quarterback Aaron Rodgers produced quite a dud in what became a 20-3 loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday afternoon. 

For a piece published on Monday, Mike Sando of The Athletic spoke with an unnamed executive from another NFL team who said he "never thought" the Steelers bringing Rodgers, 42, back for another season "would work" because the future Hall of Famer "can't do it anymore." Meanwhile, some have suggested that first-year Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy may have to soon seriously consider benching Rodgers to play a younger signal-caller. 

According to ESPN's Dan Graziano, Steelers fans should prepare themselves to see Rodgers take in-game snaps throughout the fall as long as the veteran is healthy.

When could Steelers allegedly bench Aaron Rodgers? 

"I simply do not believe that McCarthy would bench Rodgers in his final season for Mason Rudolph, Will Howard or Drew Allar -- at least not until the Steelers are eliminated from postseason contention," Graziano wrote. "These two guys reunited in Pittsburgh this year to pursue a championship together, and no matter what the rest of us think, they believe it's possible and won't give up the ghost until they have to."

Of course, Graziano was referencing how Rodgers returned to the Steelers for an expected "Last Dance" season to reunite with McCarthy, who was Rodgers' head coach when the two were with the Green Bay Packers from 2006 through much of the 2018 campaign. That said, Rodgers looked past his prime when he lost a fumble that was returned for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter of Sunday's game and when he went 23-of-39 passing for 187 yards with an interception and four sacks taken. 

According to ESPN stats, Rodgers ended Sunday ranked 30th out of 32 qualified players with a 31.6 adjusted QBR for the season. 

Aaron Rodgers wasn't the Steelers' only problem vs. Patriots

Rodgers may or may not have shared a complaint about the play-calling following Sunday's defeat. Graziano seems to believe McCarthy didn't necessarily do Rodgers many favors at Gillette Stadium.

"Plus, you really can't lay Sunday's performance entirely at Rodgers' feet," Graziano added. "The Steelers need to figure out a run game and some better protection schemes if they're going to keep Rodgers upright and have a chance this season. It's just too early to sit here and predict that they won't."

The Steelers next host the 2-0 Cincinnati Bengals on Sept. 27. As of Monday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook had Pittsburgh as a 3.5-point home underdog for that game.