The Pittsburgh Steelers are deep into another offseason and still don’t have a clear long-term answer at quarterback. They’re currently waiting on a 42-year-old to decide his future, while the rest of the depth chart includes a recent sixth-round pick and a career backup. With that being the case, they’ve been linked to just about every QB prospect in this year’s draft. However, former Steelers running back Jerome Bettis believes the team should hold off on drafting a quarterback for now.

“You gotta take a step back, and you gotta say, ‘We don’t have the necessary components to put around the quarterback,'” Jerome Bettis said on the Chipped Ham and Football podcast. “Let’s not really worry about the quarterback position as much. Let’s get ready to help whatever quarterback we have. Because right now, we weren’t helping whatever quarterback we had on the field. ‘I do believe you need to really address, offensively, the receiver position and the offensive line as well.”

The Steelers are eyeing bringing back veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers after his solid 2025 season, where he led Pittsburgh to a divisional title before flaming out in the AFC Wild Card round against the Houston Texans. While there’s uncertainty about Rodgers, with the four-time MVP expected to take significant time to finalise his decision, Bettis wants the Steelers to iron out the various roster issues that allow any quarterback coming in to seamlessly fit into the system.

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So far in the offseason, GM Omar Khan and Co. have brought in major reinforcements on the offensive side of the ball. The Steelers traded for Indianapolis Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr., who has recorded 485 receptions for 5,254 yards, a 10.8-yard average, and 25 touchdowns in his six seasons in the AFC South.

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With this move, Pittsburgh’s receiving room was handed a significant upgrade, which remained inconsistent throughout the 2025 season. The Steelers ranked 22nd in total receiving yards (3,632) and 27th in yards per reception (10.0), as per Summer Sports. Furthermore, the Steelers also signed former Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle to a two-year, $12.25 million deal to replace Kenneth Gainwell.

Dowdle, a pure runner unlike Gainwell, will bolster the running back position, as he has put back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons, first with the Dallas Cowboys and then with the Panthers, over the last two years. However, the Steelers need to take significant steps toward improving an offensive line that allowed 31 total sacks during the regular season.

Pittsburgh lost veteran Isaac Seumalo in free agency while managing to retain Mason McCormick (RG), Broderick Jones (LT), Zach Frazier (C), Spencer Anderson (LG), and Ryan McCollum (C). These are solid names, but as urged by Jerome Bettis, the Steelers must use the draft to bring in some solid options to protect their quarterback in the 2026 season.

Now shifting focus to the quarterback position, Bettis believes having Aaron Rodgers on the roster, despite its problems, will help the Steelers transition into a new era.

Jerome Bettis highlights the silver lining of Aaron Rodgers being the Steelers’ QB1

Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, despite his solid 2025 season, isn’t the future of the Pittsburgh Steelers yet. Rodgers recorded 3322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions in 16 games in 2025 and has shown that he could perform at a high level for at least one more season. However, questions have been raised about his inclusion on the Pittsburgh roster for the 2026 season.

Addressing these concerns, Jerome Bettis believes keeping Rodgers for one season will help the Steelers develop their other quarterback options, like Mason Rudolph and Will Howard.

“There is an opportunity for our number two guy to get a lot of reps, a lot of opportunity, right? So there are some positives to this, because you’re letting the young guys get an opportunity to run the offense and kind of learn the offense as they go,” Jerome Bettis said during an interview with FOX.

With the upcoming NFL draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers have to fill the holes in their roster and push for the Super Bowl for one more year with Aaron Rodgers as the QB1 before hopefully committing to a full rebuild in the 2027 season.