Just a few months ago, Aaron Rodgers created a storm in the league by plunging into darkness. He even begged Aaron Glenn to keep him with the Jets, but they had moved on. After all the free agency and draft dust has settled down, he is in the sight but still independent, still far. The 4-times MVP also had a covert visit to the Steelers facility and spent 6 hours with GM Omar Khan, HC Mike Tomlin, and OC Arthur Smith, a meeting that went well. However, there are some concerns that still need their attention.

On May 15 episode of the Yahoo! Sports Football 301 podcast, analyst Nate Tice, talked about his reservations. He said, “There’re positives here, but there’s just like I still have questions. If you remember the Jets last year and you remember the Falcons last year, they were became one-sided and they wouldn’t bootleg because of their quarterback’s Achilles. Their quarterbacks couldn’t push off.” That’s right!

Last year, Aaron Rodgers played all 17 games for the Jets. But they only won 5 games and failed to qualify for the playoffs. Tice even showed a photo of the QB’s actions, which showed that A-Rod stepped back often to complete most of his passes. He added, “So which coach loves under center play action and under center bootlegs? Arthur Smith. It’s like, “ah this is just not there. The idea of it’s okay, but just the combination of this is just a little unappealing.”

These results are a sign of decline. But the Steelers don’t have any other option left. They had Russell Wilson and Justin Fields at center. But both have moved on! Arthur Smith is under a lot of pressure. Qualifying for the playoffs is not enough. They have to reach the Super Bowl (or even win it). For those who don’t remember, the franchise has not gone past the wild card round since 2017. Smith came last year. But even he couldn’t help them.

They lost the final 4 games of the regular season and were eliminated from the playoffs. There are glimpses of the past in their approach.

Aaron Rodgers set to meet Ben Roethlisberger-like fate

When Mike Tomlin arrived at the Steelers, their famed quarterback Ben Roethlisberger had already won a Super Bowl (2005). Together, they won another in the HC’s second year (2008). But in his ending years, his performance dropped immensely, particularly after the elbow injury in 2019. Compare these two seasons.

2018: 16 games (all starters), 67% completion rate, 5129 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, 16 interceptions

2020: 15 games (all starters), 65.6% completion rate, 3803 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, 10 interceptions

His performance dropped even below to 22-10 TD-int ratio in his last season. Compelled by the decline in Aaron Rodgers‘ career, Tice added, “I would say here producer Colin said ‘Yeah this is the Big Ben (Roethlisberger), Drew Brees archetype last season archetype and really Matt Ryan last season archetype when he was with the Colts.’ Uh this is kind of the beginning of the end.”

Last year, A-rod also had a 28-10 TD-int. ratio. The decline is evident. The offseason had problems. Moreover, the Steelers haven’t kept any adequate backup for the veteran. If any injury rules him out, he can easily retire while letting the franchise slip in despair.

Isan O’Connor, biographer of Out Of The Darkness: The Mystery Of Aaron Rodgers and a close friend, remained optimistic about their union on May 17 episode of 93.7 The Fan. Will it really happen? Chances are strong, but the results matter more.