Arguably, the biggest question in the offseason for the Pittsburgh Steelers is: Will veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers return for another stint or go into retirement?
While Rodgers has intimated that his pitstop with the Steelers was his final season, he has kept the door ajar for a 22nd season.
His indecision, however, must be impacting Pittsburgh's plan for the NFL Draft. The 42-year-old Rodgers showed that he can still be effective under center, but the team might already be looking for a younger replacement.
For Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger, it would be more prudent for the squad to look at other positions in the early rounds instead of targeting a quarterback prospect.
“I’m still very, very strongly going against getting a quarterback in the first round. I wouldn't even get one in the second round, personally. If you've got those third rounds and you're not going to do something with them, if you want to try and grab someone in the third round that you really like, maybe there,” said Roethlisberger on his podcast.
He implied that Pittsburgh's plan should not hinge on Rodgers' status.
Roethlisberger added that he believes the four-time MVP, who led the team to a 10-6 record and passed for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns, will run it back with the Steelers.
“I think Aaron is going to come back, which tells me you don’t need a quarterback,” said the two-time champion.
“If Aaron doesn’t come back, then I still don't draft a quarterback. I'm not doing it. I'm not ready to do that yet. I need to build my team around a quarterback first. I would stick with Will Howard. I would bring in a veteran guy, a guy on a one-year deal: Marcus Mariota, Carson Wentz, someone like that.”
The Steelers own the No. 21 pick in the NFL Draft. Some of the talented quarterbacks in the class include Indiana's Fernando Mendoza, Miami's Carson Beck, Alabama's Ty Simpson, and Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss.
