A cloud of uncertainty hangs over Steel City. Aaron Rodgers once seemed to be locked to lead the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ offense this season. But with every day that passes without him signing the contract, more doubts arise. The team is now in a dilemma, since losing him is going to change things altogether. But Steelers icon Jerome Bettis urged the team to bite the bullet, because there are also other factors to be taken care of.

“Because I’ve got a talented defense and ultimately they’re going to age out at some point, I’ve got to give them the best chance to win right now,” Bettis told Yahoo Sports Daily on May 15. “Rodgers provides that, but I’m going to keep my eye on the future and have some young guys in the queue ready to go.

“The key is, you’ve got to make sure Aaron is on board with understanding that, ‘Hey, if we’re not in playoff position by midseason, we may have to pull the plug on this plan.”

The Steelers possess one of the most talented, but also aging, defenses in the league. The unit is anchored on the defensive line by future Hall of Famer T. J. Watt and longtime lineman Cameron Heyward. Then there’s also linebacker Patrick Queen, and a generational talent in cornerback Jalen Ramsey. They’ve garnered 24 Pro Bowls and 14 All Pros between them. But the average age between all of them is 31.3 years. And with Aaron Rodgers himself being 42, the Steelers haven’t got much time on their hands.

His being able to take the team to the postseason at that age is a big reason why the Steelers wanted him to come back this year. This will presumably be Rodgers’ last season in the NFL, which makes this their best shot at attempting for the Super Bowl. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since 2016. But if Rodgers is not able to break this curse, Pittsburgh will be forced to course-correct with a new, young QB. The veteran core likely won’t have the appetite to endure a rookie rebuild year around him.

If Pittsburgh decides to move on from Rodgers before the season begins, its odds of making the postseason are practically shot. There is a veteran replacement in Mason Rudolph, but he’s only had so much experience as a starter. Behind him, Howard will likely split rotation, but he’s never taken a single snap in the NFL. Allar has the highest long-term ceiling among them, but he’s clearly too young to be assigned a responsibility this important.

In 2020, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers became one of the few teams to win a Super Bowl with an aged quarterback, in Tom Brady. But unlike the Bucs, the Steelers have a legacy to restore, being one of the most consistently winning teams in the league. It looks like they’re only trying to buy time before pushing the younger talents to the fire.

Pittsburgh has been trying to find its next franchise quarterback ever since Ben Roethlisberger left the team. They arrived at a good quarterback in Aaron Rodgers, but it was too late. This whole situation, and the timing of it all, put Pittsburgh in an extremely tough spot.

Maybe it is time for fans to gear up for the other direction this saga can head to.

Pittsburgh is now at its wits’ end with Aaron Rodgers

Throughout this offseason, the Steelers have been adamant about conveying that Rodgers and the team are in a good place. General Manager Omar Khan and team owner Art Rooney II have been talking to the veteran QB a lot. But even after placing the unrestricted free agency (UFA) tender on the QB, which ups his salary by 15%, Rodgers is still a no-show. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero thought that the Steelers are now reaching their limits.

“At some point, the patience is going to run out,” he said on the Rich Eisen Show on May 15. “It certainly seems like the patience for Steelers fans, just based on the feedback I get every time I talk about Aaron Rodgers, may already be running out for some people. For Art Rooney [II], for Mike McCarthy, who’s trying to get the team ready on the field, that patience may be tested.

“I don’t believe that has happened yet. If they don’t have something in place by the start of next week, I think that we get there.”

Rodgers was reportedly in town recently, but he never met with the team. His not signing the contract even now is raising red flags around his intent yet again. Fans are probably asking the team, “What now?”

The Steelers might find themselves in a situation similar to the one the Cleveland Browns faced last season.

In case there’s still some confusion within the organization on what to do, Bettis may have offered a great solution. With the season opener drawing near, it is time for the Steelers to take a stand.