The Steelers weren’t particularly lucky when it came to quarterbacks this offseason, even though they recently signed Aaron Rodgers. Rodgers took his time finalizing the deal, and at times, it felt as if Pittsburgh was allowing him to walk all over them. However, throughout the process, he did offer the Steelers something of a verbal commitment.
“I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he’s told [the Steelers], ‘Listen, I’m gonna play for you. I just don’t want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction where I can give you my all,’” Ian O’Connor said.
Steelers fans are excited to welcome Rodgers’ veteran presence to Pittsburgh, but it was revealed that he was actually the team’s third option at quarterback this offseason.
“As well as Aaron Rodgers played last year, he still was the Steelers’ third option. They tried to trade for Matthew Stafford, they tried to re-sign Justin Fields,” Adam Schefter said on Get Up.
Ryan Clark, however, doesn’t believe the Steelers’ one-year plan for Rodgers will pay off in the long run. He thinks it could cost Pittsburgh a valuable draft pick next season in their pursuit of a premier quarterback. Meanwhile, former Packers QB and Rodgers’ backup, Kurt Benkert, believes kicker Chris Boswell will be a huge factor in Rodgers’ success in black and gold.
“Don’t forget that Aaron Rodgers now has Chris Boswell that went 93% on field goals last year. A big part of Rodgers’ game is efficiency and situational football. The Jets field goal unit only made 71% of their kicks last year and cost them a ton of games. (Jets fans know),” Kurt Benkert posted.
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Rodgers is old school and will always make the smart play — which often means taking the three points when the opportunity arises. Benkert believes with Rodgers under center, Boswell will end up deciding the outcome of many games this season.
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