Previously, my position on Aaron Rodgers was simple: (1) the Vikings should say no; and (2) the Steelers should say yes.
I’ve revised my opinion. The Steelers should run away.
Aaron Rodgers currently isn’t good enough to justify The Aaron Rodgers Experience. We were reminded of it on Thursday, when he settled scores and aired grievances and pretended not to want the attention naturally flowing from weeks of deliberate silence.
Rodgers put the Jets on blast for bringing him across the country “on my own dime” (have you considered GoFundMe?) to tell him they were moving on. He said they could have called. And, of course, if they’d called to say they were moving on, Rodgers would have been miffed that they didn’t break the news in a face-to-face meeting.
Rodgers also called the Jets a “debacle” and complained about the lack of respect the team exhibited to him. Which is relevant to the Steelers because, eventually, he’d be a former member of that team, too. And if the Steelers don’t perform well with Rodgers at quarterback, he’ll be inclined to look for someone else to blame. And to potentially criticize the Steelers after he’s gone.
Then there’s the weekly bully pulpit with Pat McAfee, where the host and his cohorts will give Rodgers a very wide berth to say whatever he wants. Which is actually a good thing, because it gives us a glimpse into his thoughts and opinions that we otherwise wouldn’t have.
Rodgers loves to complain about any and all actual or perceived slights or indignities. He holds a grudge (to borrow a Seinfeld line) like Khomeini. Shit, Rodgers is still whining about COVID, demanding an apology even though he’s the one who blatantly lied about his vaccination status.
Why would the Steelers want Rodgers if Rodgers is going to be appearing every Tuesday on ESPN and saying whatever he wants to say, on whatever topic he wants to speak? They had that with Ben Roethlisberger, who used to do a local radio segment on 93.7 The Fan until he realized (possibly at the suggestion of the team) that it was causing more problems than it was worth.
That’s the key, for any player. Do the pros outweigh the cons? We know what the cons are when it comes to Rodgers. We currently don’t know the pros. He’s 41, and Father Time is undefeated.
Yes, he’s better than any other option they currently have on the roster. The Steelers should try to find some better options. Draft someone, trade someone, find a free agent. Anything. Rodgers, I’ve concluded, will be more trouble than he’s worth. The positives won’t sufficiently counter the negatives.
We’ll accept Rodgers’s explanation that he has something going on in his personal life that keeps him from making an “all-in” commitment to any team. So why did he visit the Steelers if he wasn’t ready to sign a contract? He could have waited until it was time to commit, if he decided to do so.
The Steelers should make the decision for him. They can do better. Maybe not when it comes to throwing skills, but definitely when it comes to leadership, emotional intelligence, and self-awareness.
