Oct 20, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; New York Jets running back Breece Hall (20) and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) celebrate a touchdown agianst the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in the market for a veteran QB.

More specifically, they are in the Aaron Rodgers market, only they don’t want to commit to him, or anyone past one year.

Well, as one NFL executive told Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, that might be all Rodgers has left…

Aaron Rodgers With One Year Left?

“He’s on the downside,” said one AFC exec, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. “He still has the flashes of arm talent and accuracy. There’s a depreciation of the mobility that made him great, when he was that two-way, run/pass option player on every play. It’s relegated him to being more of a pocket-passing veteran. Do I think he can start for a year? I do. … He still sees the field well, has football intelligence, the quick release. His arm’s not quite what it was but with the right surrounding cast? Yes.”

I tend to agree with the assessment of the AFC executive. What made Rodgers who many belive to be the BEST (not greatest, there’s a difference) QB to ever play was his mobility.

Ever since his achilles tear, however, that mobility has been compromised. But what hasn’t been compromised, and what works in the Steelers’ favor is his brain.

There is nothing left to throw at Rodgers. No exotic blitz or funky coverage will throw him off.

Pair that processing with an arm that is still better than half the league and the Steelers can try their best to win a Super Bowl on a one-year rental before going all in on finding their next franchise signal caller.

Or if you read enough mock drafts, maybe they make another reach in round one and try and find their QB of the future in a little over five weeks on night one of the 2025 NFL Draft.

But the Steelers seem hard-pressed on Rodgers at the moment. They have held up their entire free agency in hopes that he joins the team. Meaning, if he doesn’t, there will be plenty of questions for the Steelers brass.

For now however, should Rodgers climb out his cave or come in from his long walks on the beach and decide to put on the Black and Gold, one solid year might be all they need.