The Pittsburgh Steelers had a solid NFL Draft, adding defensive tackle Derrick Harmon and running back Kaleb Johnson with their first two picks. They also signed veteran wide receiver Robert Woods to be a veteran presence in an otherwise young receiving corps. However, as the Steelers continue to wait for Aaron Rodgers, the more time passes by as OTAs and mini-camp approach.

Moe Moton of Bleacher Report went through and named every NFL division’s biggest loser of the 2025 offseason, and he named the Steelers as the losers of the AFC North.

“The Pittsburgh Steelers are playing the Aaron Rodgers waiting game, a risky gamble with Mason Rudolph as the front-runner for the starting quarterback position,” Moton writes. “While on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers said there’s “no deadline” on whether he plans to play or retire. If Rodgers walks away from the game, Pittsburgh can turn its attention to Atlanta Falcons’ backup signal-caller Kirk Cousins, who’s looking for a starting job… Either way, the Steelers could take a step back with their current quarterback situation, which isn’t ideal for a veteran-laden team in win-now mode. They have two explosive playmaking wide receivers, George Pickens and DK Metcalf, but the question is, will their starting quarterback be able to maximize that talent?”

While many in the league expect Pittsburgh to pivot to Cousins if Rodgers falls through, you’d find a big chunk of the fan base who says they’d rather just roll with Mason Rudolph for the season. Rudolph helped the Steelers win their final three games in 2023, and Pittsburgh slipped into the playoffs in large part because of his play. While they lost to Buffalo, Rudolph helped the Steelers make the game interesting by leading the Steelers on a 17-3 run after getting in a 21-0 deficit.

Regardless, the Steelers have expressed publicly that they expect Rodgers to join the team. When that happens is unknown, but the writing has been on the wall for quite some time.