Aaron Rodgers officially signed a one year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers last week. Inquiring minds want to know one thing.

Why?

From Rodgers perspective I guess I get it. He is yet another in a long line of great players that refuses to quit. Plus, who can’t use another 13 million dollars?

The only player that really capitalized on extending an already great career was Tom Brady. Muhammad Ali stuck around too long. Joe Montana looked silly in a Chiefs uniform. Franco Harris even sillier in a Seahawks uniform. Michael Jordan was no longer a wizard in Washington. Rodgers’ former teammate Brett Favre only got into trouble by continuing his career after his great Green Bay days. 

Rodgers already looked finished at the end of his Green Bay tenure, and that was only accentuated in New York where he spent one year injured and the next looking like a noodle armed has been.

But I get it. He likes —correction, loves— the limelight. In retirement he may fade into the abyss. Unless it is one of his dark retreats, Rodgers would hate that. No adulation from fans. No kind words from announcers. And what if nobody but Pat McAfee wanted him on their shows and podcasts?

So I fully understand Rodgers desire to drag out his career.

My bigger question is what is the Steelers thought process on this move.

I have generally liked —even loved in some cases— the moves Omar Khan has made in Pittsburgh since becoming the GM. He and his assistant Andy Weidl have correctly addressed the trenches, which is where championships are won. The jury is still out on how well they addressed the trenches, but the process is correct. Some may question how the wide receiver room has been handled, but an injury to Roman Wilson last year and the general clownery of George Pickens has thrown a wrench into that area.

Of course, that leaves the most important position on the team.

Quarterback.

I am not angry with anyone, including Mike Tomlin, that they haven’t found Ben Roethlisberger’s replacement yet. It ain’t easy.

Green Bay has set the standard for replacing one star quarterback with another. Doing it a second time hasn’t been as easy. The jury is still out on Jordan Love in Green Bay. Same goes for Drake Maye in New England. Love was a late first round flyer selected to learn from Rodgers in Green Bay before taking over. Maye was an early first rounder selected to be the next Tom Brady in New England. Nobody is totally sure of either player. The New York Jets have made a mockery of drafting “highly rated” quarterbacks. Ditto the Giants.

Again, it ain’t easy.

 Forget about other teams, and for the 400th time in this column allow me to direct you to the Steelers history at the quarterback position. It took the Steelers what seemed like forever to replace Terry Bradshaw. I won’t bore you with the litany of names to take snaps between Bradshaw and Roethlisberger, but the list is extensive.

The Steelers attempts to replace Roethlisberger have been made more difficult because their head coach is the best “rally the troops” guy in the league. Mike Tomlin has made an art form out of taking underwhelming teams and getting them slightly above .500. Unfortunately, he is equally awful at maximizing great talent like he had during Roethlisberger’s career. Someone may want to remind him that the “standard” isn’t 10-7 and being humiliated in the playoffs. The “standard” is winning playoff games and advancing to the Super Bowl.

With Tomlin’s constant 10-7/9-8 “Houdini acts” the Steelers always find themselves drafting somewhere in the 20’s. A tough place to find a quarterback. All the top tier guys are off the board, leaving you with only projects and flyers to take a chance on. Couple that with the Steelers usual conservative approach in free agency and you have a quarterback problem.

Enter Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Russell Wilson, and Justin Fields. Sounds a little bit like Cliff Stoudt, Mark Malone, Bubby Brister, and Todd Blackledge. By all accounts, this is where Tomlin takes the lead. He wanted a veteran so he got Trubisky. The only person that thought Pickett was a first rounder was Tomlin, so he drafted him. Wilson and Fields came cheap, and again Tomlin favored the veteran. Rudolph has been treated like a last resort his entire tenure in Pittsburgh despite accounting nicely for himself when given opportunities.

According to the reporting on Rodgers, it was Tomlin who once again drove the bus. He thinks he has a great relationship with Rodgers. He wanted Rodgers all along. He was the one to keep in contact with Rodgers. He knew Rodgers was coming to Pittsburgh.

By not reaching for a quarterback in this past draft and by stockpiling draft choices it certainly appears that when the 2026 NFL Draft comes to Pittsburgh the home team is planning on making a splash. It will be a quarterback heavy draft and even if the Steelers pull another 9-8 out of their Nissan Steel clad butts, they will be able to maneuver for a quarterback early in the draft.

That long, winding road brings me back to my original question.

Why?

Taking a chance on a 41 year old FORMER star quarterback is done out of desperation. Or, it is done by teams that are delusional. A team that thinks they are a quarterback away from winning it all. I get that the Steelers feel like they have wasted Cam Heyward and TJ Watt’s prime years, and they absolutely have. But do the Steelers and Mike Tomlin realistically think Rodgers puts them over the top?

The Steelers reside in a division that includes the Ravens and Lamar Jackson plus the Bengals and Joe Burrow. A conference that also includes the Patrick Mahomes led Chiefs and Josh Allen and the Bills. Upstarts like the Chargers and Broncos are there as well. And you think Aaron Rodgers suddenly puts you in that mix?

The correct decision was to allow Mason Rudolph to be your starter and rookie Will Howard to be the backup. If Rudolph gets hurt or falters, then you find out a little something about Howard. What is the worst thing that could happen? You go 4-13 and land in a prime drafting position to take your next stud quarterback. A decision preferably made by Khan and Weidl.

I said it after last season and while teams were prepping for the draft. The Steelers lack direction. They are a team that is desperately clinging to the idea that they are a contender, thus forgoing an out and out rebuild. They sign DK Metcalf to a huge contract —by Steelers standards— despite not having a quarterback worthy of Metcalf’s skills. They will undoubtedly soon pay TJ Watt like one of the best edge rushers in the game despite his declining production and advancing age. Anybody remember how his brother’s career went after age 30?

The Steelers have what I consider a quality GM and assistant GM. They are approaching roster building correctly.

The Steelers have an egomaniac as a head coach. A guy that refuses to hire quality assistant coaches because they may challenge him. A head coach that claims he could care less about his non-losing seasons streak. Yet, every move he makes seems to be directed at staying in that mediocre middle. I know this because nobody with a sane mind thinks Aaron Rodgers makes the Steelers Super Bowl contenders.

The Steelers ridded themselves of one clown in George Pickens, only to bring an entire circus to town. Rodgers knows all. He knows where Jimmy Hoffa is buried, who really shot JFK, who is on the Epstein list, and how vaccines will eventually kill us all. I can hardly wait for the first time Rodgers points his finger at Metcalf, blaming him for an interception.

Oh it’s coming.

Someone queue up the circus music, and for goodness sakes someone give me a legitimate answer to my rather simple question.

Why?

Two Cent Takes

NHL

~I’ve said it on my podcast and written here, you are missing some exciting stuff if you are watching the NHL playoffs. The Stanley Cup Finals are three games in and it has been one of the best in recent memory. A Florida juggernaut vs the stardom of Connor McDavid and his sidekick Leon Draisaitl. I am sticking with the stars from Edmonton, but after last night’s Florida blowout I am not feeling good about it. Desperate teams fight to try and fire themselves up.

 

Maybe just play better.

NBA

~Another thing I will maintain is that having two relative newbies in Indiana and OKC in the finals is good for basketball. A lot of people are complaining that there aren’t any stars and no big markets. So what? If that is what you want, then eliminate about 15 teams and go from there.

College Sports

~The House ruling finally came down, which will allow universities to straight up pay players. No more collectives which means smaller schools will struggle to keep up with the “big boys”. This will be the revenue sharing players we’re looking for.

~There will be roster size limitations put in place. There will be kids that don’t get to be part of a team now and this could have an impact on non revenue sports.

~There will allegedly be more enforcement on NIL deals. We shall see.

~If it wasn’t already, amateurism is essentially over in college sports.

~Livvy Dunne was still not happy with the back pay part of the settlement.

 

Not to worry Livvy. Your soon to be husband will most likely sign one of the biggest contracts in baseball history in a few years. He’s got you covered.

College Baseball

~Murray State with a miracle. A regional 4 seed for the fourth time makes it to Omaha.

 

What a tremendous story. The Racers home field seats 800. Head Coach Dan Skirka mows the grass himself. The players roll the tarp out to cover the field. They dismissed Georgia Tech, Ole Miss, and Duke to reach Omaha.

~The Racers will join a rather diverse group of teams in Omaha.

 

I told you a week ago to keep an eye on Oregon State. A school left without a real home after conference realignment made the best of things. A lesson for all. 

Golf

~It is US Open week, and the golf world descends on Oakmont, PA. The U.S. Open loves to have difficult rough, but is this too much?

 

I think it is a bit too much myself. Who wants to watch professionals hack it through that stuff.

~Clearly straight hitters will have an advantage, but length still helps. Here is Colin Morikawa taking driver on a 290 yard par three(also ridiculous).

 

~Here are my thoughts on who wins the U.S. Open:

  • Scottie Scheffler. The end.
  • A ten dollar bet only gets you $28 on Scheffler’s +280 odds. If you want a bigger return then you could go with Colin Morikawa at +2500, Ludvig Aberg at +3000, Patrick Cantlay at +4500, or Hideki Matsuyama at +6500. Morikawa is super straight off the tee. Aberg is the guy most ready to break out and win a major. Cantlay doesn’t get rattled. Matsuyama is always so steady in majors.
  • Bryson DeChambeau is always near the top, or so it seems, in majors. I’m not so sure he will handle the rough well this week, and he is likely to see his fair share of the rough.
MLB

~Want to see the most Marlins thing ever? Sure you do.

 


~The winner of the best bunt of the season has already been chosen. Nobody will lay one down better than Isaiah Kiner-Falefa.

 

~This catch quite possibly is the best catch I’ve ever seen. A’s fans don’t have much to cheer for, but wow, this would be one thing.

 

That catch was Shiny Penny worthy, so let’s hook that to the next section of the column.


The Weekly Shiny Penny

Carlos Alcaraz was down two sets to one, 5 games to 3, and 0-40, and survived to win the French Open. He then decided to celebrate with all the kids who were ball boys and girls. Pretty cool.

 


A Penny For My Final Thought…

The Pirates swept the Phillies over the weekend.

That very well could be the highlight of the Pirates season. If you are super optimistic you might suggest it is the start of a prolonged hot streak. The Pirates need to be an inferno to make anything out of their season.

Both teams have incredible starting pitching. The Phillies staff is led by perennial Cy Young candidate Zach Wheeler. The Pirates are led by soon to be perennial Cy Young candidate Paul Skenes. The Pirates may have a slight edge with the rest of the starting staff, though Ranger Suarez and Cristopher Sanchez aren’t chopped liver for the Phillies. If Aaron Nolan can get healthy and regain his old form the Phillies will have little to worry about with their starters.

I have written many times what ails the Pirates, and I’m sure I will have more opportunities. Offense and bullpen.

What about the Phillies? Since beating the Braves on May 29, the Phils have gone 2-9. This past weekend was my first chance to take a close look at Philadelphia. Any time a team goes 2-9 there is cause for concern, but is it time to hit the panic button?

Probably not. But I am certainly not feeling good about my Memorial Day pick of the Phillies making the World Series. Making the playoffs is no longer considered automatic.

The Phillies offense his light years better than the Pirates, but when taking a deeper look at it the Phillies aren’t lighting it up like they were earlier in the season. Trea Turner and Kyle Schwarber have been fantastic. When healthy Bryce Harper has been solid but not spectacular. Everyone else in that line up is sort of “eh” right now. Good pitching is getting through that lineup without a lot of damage. In 8 of their 9 losses during this stretch they averaged less than 2 runs per game. Even last night in a win versus Chicago it took the Phillies 16 hits and 11 innings to score 4 runs.

The bullpen has always been a problem in Philly. It is the annual worry fans of the Phils always fret about. Losing Jose Alvarado for basically the season didn’t help matters. Matt Strahm, once an all star, is now up and down. Jordan Romano seems to be the de facto closer but would make me really nervous. The biggest thing I see is they walk far too many hitters.

Another thing that struck me, albeit in a small sample size, was erratic defense. The corner outfield positions appear to be shaky at best. Nick Castellanos is like having an ox in right field. I will give the Phillies defense one shout out. Johan Rojas made one of the best catches you will see in center field.

 

The ground Rojas covered would make Gary Maddox look average. It should be enough to keep Brandon Marsh far, far away from the starting lineup.

Trea Turner is also a defensive question mark. He used to be an average to above average shortstop, but in the last three seasons he has been below average. A move to centerfield could be in his future.

Since I am backing off my Phillies to the World Series prediction, I assume the Phillies will catch fire. However, if it turns out I don’t have any effect on the Phillies performance then I may have some concern about the Fightin’ Phils.

For one weekend the dreadful team to the West reigned supreme. It was enough to raise some red and white flags for the team to the East.

Just my two cents…