Commentary: For Steelers, Aaron Rodgers is an upgrade, but not an answer

Aaron Rodgers is an upgrade over Mason Rudolph and is probably an upgrade over Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and even probably the broken-down, end-of-the-road version of Ben Roethlisberger. He represents the Steelers' best quarterback since 2020, when Roethlisberger threw for 3,800 yards, 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. That was Ben's last really good season, and the Steelers have had quarterback play that has wavered somewhere between mediocre and horrific since then. Rodgers should be better than mediocre — might even be good! — and who knows? Maybe now that he will be two years removed from a major injury, he might be borderline elite again. I have no idea how good he will be, but when the baseline is "he has to be better than all of the Steelers quarterbacks since 2020," we are not talking a very high bar to clear. That would all be well and good if the Steelers' opponents and the teams they will need to beat were quarterbacked by guys we established are worse than Rodgers, but that just isn't the case. That is why Rodgers being better than what the Steelers have had isn't that terribly relevant of a question. The real question is: Where does Rodgers fit among AFC quarterbacks? Now, ironically the Steelers start the season against one of the guys on their former quarterbacks list — Fields, as he is the starter for the Jets. They also will get a chance to play two games against Pickett, who plays for the Browns, but it remains to be seen if he is the starter in either game. Pickett is currently listed at the starter, but there have been several reports he has struggled in OTAs and not done anything to solidify his starting spot. I mean, I suppose if Josh Allen were to get hurt, they could face Trubisky, as well, but let's deal in reality, not fantasy, and I will get right to the point. There are 16 teams in the AFC, which means there are 16 starting quarterbacks. Rodgers is one of them. But when I add it all up, I still come to this conclusion: The Steelers' quarterback situation is at best eighth, or middle of the pack, and maybe is closer to 10th depending on how you view a rookie. The no-brainers (that they are better than Rodgers) are Patrick Mahomes, Lamar Jackson, Joe Burrow and Allen, and three of them happen to be on the three best teams in the AFC. Burrow's Bengals are always going to be a threat because of him and his receivers, so these are four teams the Steelers likely will have to beat in some combination in the playoffs. I would then look to C.J. Stroud, Trevor Lawrence and Justin Herbert and come to the conclusion that all three of them are better than Rodgers. Herbert and Lawrence get criticized a lot, but both have played without a lot of help, especially from their offensive lines. Both are younger, stronger and better versions of the 41-year-old Rodgers. That means that, at best, the Steelers have the eighth-best quarterback situation in the NFL. I know Rodgers actually statistically was slightly better than a few of those quarterbacks — like Mahomes, for instance (Rodgers threw for more touchdowns, the same number of interceptions and a few yards less), but nobody in their right mind who watches football would rank Rodgers ahead of Mahomes. The interesting thing is there are a few other quarterbacks in the AFC whom some might consider to be better than Rodgers at this stage. There is Geno Smith from the Raiders, for instance, who has developed into a reasonably good starting quarterback. I still think Rodgers is better, as he throws fewer interceptions, but I could hear arguments about Smith. Bo Nix of the Broncos took the NFL by storm last year as a rookie, and we can project he will be even better this year. I could listen to arguments about him above Rodgers, as well as Tua Tagovailoa, whom some people seem to be high on. Personally I think Tagovailoa is incredibly overrated and not even in this discussion, but maybe Nix is actually better than Rodgers. The unknown factor is Cam Ward of the Titans, but I am willing to shoot down every argument about him above Rodgers because he has not taken a single snap in the NFL. Ward may ultimately be a star, but I have a hard time believing it is going to happen right out of the gates for him, as I don't think he has a ton of talent surrounding him on offense. So what's my point? It is that inferior quarterback play compared to the top teams in the AFC has been one of the main reasons the Steelers have fallen short in the playoffs. That's a harsh reality, but it is one of those realities the Steelers can't hide from. And in adding Rodgers, while they have maybe closed the gap a bit on the quarterback play of the top teams, they are still going to be at a disadvantage when they play teams like the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens and Bengals. Now, some of that might be mitigated by improved offensive line play and the arrival of DK Metcalf. But if the Steelers are going to get to where they want to go this season, they will need Rodgers to find his form of about four or five years ago — at least for a couple of games.