The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ post-Mike Tomlin era includes a Super Bowl-winning coach in Mike McCarthy, yet the franchise continues to wrestle with the ongoing quarterback crisis. With the veteran Aaron Rodgers still undecided on his decision for the next season, there is no clear indication of who will be the starting quarterback as the team continues to wait. Amid this uncertainty, former NFL Network analyst Dave Dameshek openly criticized the situation.

“Meanwhile, the Stale-lers are waiting on a 43-year-old weirdo to publicly announce what they’ve assumed to be true for the last 3 months,” noted Dave Dameshek on X, sharing a clip from the latest Pittsburgh Pirates game, where the crowd is cheering and clapping for the home team.

Rodgers is a 21-year NFL veteran who played just one season at the Acrisure Stadium during the 2025 campaign. As a starter, he appeared in 16 regular-season games for the Yellow and Black and delivered a productive season.

Even though the 42-year-old is now far from his heyday, he registered 3,322 passing yards and 24 touchdowns with a 10-7 record, making the franchise the AFC North champion. Given his elite production and the previous long-standing connection with the new Steelers HC Mike McCarthy, the franchise is hopeful of securing his services for this season.

However, the wait has stretched far too long, and the team still doesn’t have a potential high-end quarterback option if the veteran indeed calls it a day after his 21st season. It has been three months, and he has yet to make a decision, even though McCarthy previously revealed that they are regularly in touch, discussing the possibility. After playing for $13.6 million last season, he is also reportedly looking for a significant raise, which could go up to $30 million.

While the Steelers wait for the Rodgers decision, their MLB counterpart, as compared by Dameshek, the Pirates, recently made a statement move by promoting 19-year-old Konnor Griffin to the majors after just five Triple-A games. Moreover, they won the first home series of 2026. Dameshek made a sarcastic remark about Rodgers after posting a recent clip from the game, as the two Pittsburgh teams are taking contrasting approaches.

If the 42-year-old fails to decide before the upcoming NFL Draft this month, the franchise might scout a young quarterback fresh from college football.

Carson Beck could be a possible QB option for the Steelers amid Aaron Rodgers’ delay

Even though the Steelers have numerous positions that could be upgraded, the quarterback area has been in dire need of help for the past few seasons. While Aaron Rodgers was impressive last season, he was a temporary solution, who has a possibility of retirement this season. Given the franchise has a 1st round pick (21st overall) in the 2026 NFL Draft, they might go for a signal caller, with Miami Hurricanes’ Carson Beck emerging as a potential candidate.

“The Steelers have little intention of taking a quarterback with their No.1 pick because they don’t believe there is another first-round quarterback after Fernando Mendoza,” said the Steelers Insider, Gerry Dulac, last week. ” But, one of the reasons they like Miami’s Carson Beck is that he has started 43 games, counting his time when he won a national title at Georgia.”

While Beck might not be as elite as Mendoza, he has a remarkable college record for both Georgia and Miami. He has played six collegiate seasons, remaining a starter in the last three. In the 2025 campaign with Miami, he had 3,813 passing yards from 16 games with an incredible 72.4 completion percentage.

With Kirk Cousins signing for the Raiders, the Steelers do not have top QB options left from the free agency, so Beck could be the best bet in case of Rodgers’ retirement.

Meanwhile, the team’s current quarterback options, Will Howard and Mason Rudolph, cannot be reliable starting options for the next season. Howard, a sixth-round pick from the 2025 Draft, has yet to suit up for the Steelers and make his NFL debut, whereas Rudolph is considered a QB2.