The very first game ever played at M&T Bank Stadium (then called PSINet Stadium) in 1998 was a Pittsburgh Steelers win. The Steelers walked into the Baltimore Ravens’ brand-new building and beat them 20-13. It set the tone for everything that followed in this rivalry. And twenty-eight years later, Steelers owner/president Art Rooney II is still finding ways to put Baltimore on the spot. And this time, he did it without his team suiting up.

Appearing on The DVE Morning Show two days before the draft, Rooney ran through what Pittsburgh had built for draft weekend. What he revealed was a historic lineup: Terry Bradshaw, Ben Roethlisberger, Mel Blount, T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, Hines Ward, and Lynn Swann. Jerome Bettis would call Pittsburgh’s first pick, and Charlie Batch will also make a pick.

After listing many more names and highlights in store, Rooney noted that the league gives the team whose city is hosting the draft a lot of freedom. Hearing this, a DVE host joked that maybe Rooney could block rival teams from drafting players the Steelers didn’t want them to. Rooney laughed, then revealed he had the league make a particular change for the draft.

“On the normal seating chart, I noticed that the Ravens fans were sitting in front of the Steeler fans in one section of the draft theater,” Rooney said. “So I asked [the league] to make that change, and they agreed to make that.”

Art Rooney II didn’t just want to host the draft; he wanted the Ravens fans to know whose house they were in. And it tracks because this rivalry has never needed manufactured stakes.

In the early 2000s, the black and gold crowd waving Terrible Towels showed up at M&T Bank Stadium in such numbers that former Ravens DT Tony Siragusa publicly told the Ravens flock to stop selling their tickets to the Pittsburgh supporters, and he didn’t stop there.

“I was tired of seeing all the Steelers fans in our stadium,” Siragusa said. “So I told our fans to stop selling their tickets to Steelers fans. Then, I might have said something crazy like they should pee on their leg. But it was all in good fun.”

But that animosity never really stopped. At the Week 18 regular-season finale this January, a Ravens fan was caught on video grabbing a young Steelers fan by the throat in the stands before others stepped in. What’s more, even Baltimore’s own mayor didn’t stay out of the rivalry.

Ahead of that same game, Mayor Brandon Scott posted a video on Instagram pretending to wipe his backside with a Terrible Towel. At Baltimore’s New Year’s Eve celebration, he pointed out a lone Steelers fan in the crowd and got everyone to boo him. However, Pittsburgh won 26-24 when Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal at the final whistle. Scott’s post the next day of the game was a face-palming selfie captioned “speechless.” That Steelers fan he mocked ended up having a much better week.

That win gave Pittsburgh the AFC North title and sent Baltimore packing. Three months later, Ravens fans will be sitting behind Steelers fans at the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. Art Rooney II knew exactly what he was doing with that seating chart request.

Now, the Ravens flock can be annoyed about where they’re planted for three days. But Rooney’s actual problem this week has nothing to do with Baltimore. It’s in his own quarterback room, and no call to the league can fix it.

The Aaron Rodgers problem continues for Art Rooney II

At the NFL Annual Meeting in late March, Rooney told reporters that he expected veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ final decision before the draft. He and general manager Omar Khan had both spoken to Rodgers directly, and Rooney made it known that A-Rod doesn’t intend to leave them hanging this time.

But the draft is now two days away, and Rodgers is still radio silent about whether he wants to play this season. It’s an exact symmetry to where we stood a year ago, when Rodgers let the narratives pile on before finally signing with the Steelers before the mandatory minicamp in June 2025. Back then, former head coach Mike Tomlin stayed firm in his confidence that A-Rod would suit up in black and gold. This time, though, Rooney has had to go back on his March promise.

“I don’t know if it’ll be before the draft,” Rooney said to CBS’ Bob Pompeani this week. “I think it’ll be soon. Can’t put an exact day on it or anything like that. But yeah, I think it’ll happen soon. One way or the other.”

That last sentence sounds like Pittsburgh isn’t so sure anymore. But as Skip Bayless had already called it out on The Arena: Gridiron weeks ago, the Steelers “did this to themselves.” They set a deadline for Aaron Rodgers based on a ‘maybe’ and passed on veteran quarterbacks in free agency. If they had actually brought in proven depth in free agency, that QB could have already been working through the mandatory minicamp that’s happening right now. On ESPN’s First Take, Peter Schrager outlined exactly how Pittsburgh messed up.

“I think it would be quite the about-face to miss out on Kirk Cousins and to miss out on all these different veteran quarterbacks,” Schrager noted amid a heated debate. “Kyler Murray’s making a million dollars. They could have had Kyler Murray. They could have talked to Geno Smith. They didn’t entertain any of it because they were banking on Rodgers. He holds them hostage right now.”

All of those quarterbacks shuffled to new teams in free agency, and Pittsburgh was left waiting. Last offseason, Rodgers signed his one-year deal after Pittsburgh’s other options were gone. It is the same play, same result, and the Steelers lined up for it again willingly.

Meanwhile, former sixth-round pick from last year, Will Howard, is already in the building. He has earned praise from new head coach Mike McCarthy, and offensive coordinator Brian Angelichio called Howard’s ability to “communicate, articulate, and pick up the scheme” remarkable. But a young quarterback making a good impression in April meetings is not the same thing as a solved QB room, especially when that young QB hasn’t played a single NFL snap yet.

Art Rooney II shifted the crowd dynamics, surrounding Ravens fans with a sea of black and gold with just one call. He has been trying to resolve the Aaron Rodgers situation for months. The seating issue has been addressed, but the quarterback room remains up in the air.