Kyler Murray is getting cut by Arizona. The Steelers want Aaron Rodgers to return at quarterback.
Instead of waiting on Rodgers, the Steelers should grab Murray.
Rodgers is 42. Murray is 28.
Rodgers is playing out the string. Murray would be playing for his career. He could conceivably be the Steelers’ long-term solution at QB. (That’s a longshot. But Sam Darnold was 28 when last season started, his first with Seattle.)
Rodgers is a statue. Murray is mobile.
Rodgers plays scared. Won’t take a hit to make a play. He bullies the depth chart. How can the Steelers rebuild at wideout when that position is subject to Rodgers’ approval and his insistence on precise routes ahead of talent? (Talent can learn to run better routes. Scotty Miller is a jabroni.)
Murray has upside. The pedigree of being a former first pick overall. Murray hedges your bet if, during his tenure, the Steelers draft a quarterback that they hope is their long-term answer. New head coach Mike McCarthy is supposed to be a “quarterback whisperer.” You’d think he could go one for two. (Rodgers can’t hear the whispers. Needs a hearing aid.)
Rodgers has veteran savvy. Can navigate tight spots.
But Murray is no rookie. He’s played seven NFL seasons. He’s got a career passer rating of 92.2. That’s average. He’s not Josh Allen, but he’s no bum. (Rodgers’ passer rating this past season was 94.8, fifth-worst of his 21-year NFL career.)
The Steelers aren’t close to winning a Super Bowl. Rodgers won’t get them there.
So why bring back Rodgers? Murray has more upside. Except for the intangible of guile, any comparison of the two favors Murray.
But owner Art Rooney II wants the big name. The future Hall of Famer.
Rodgers and Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl together with Green Bay in 2011, beating the Steelers. For Rooney, it’s about storylines.
It’s especially about being desperate to win a playoff game after nine years not. The Steelers won’t eschew gain that’s immediate and minimal to ultimately build a championship-caliber team. That the Penguins’ department. The Steelers are short-term stupid.
But even if the focus is now, Rodgers won’t improve with (even more) age. At 42, he’s more likely to keel over. It’s like “Weekend at Bernie’s” donned a helmet.
But for the Steelers, good decision-making died with Dan Rooney. Witness the team’s mangling of the quarterback position since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. (And not just the quarterback position.)
Organizational thrift has certainly been maintained, though. As attested by five bathroom stalls for an entire football team and staff.
Arizona owes Murray $36.7 million for next season. The Steelers could pay Murray as little as $1.3 million. It’s a situation similar to when Russell Wilson got cut by Denver in 2024 and came to Pittsburgh.
Cheap is right up the Steelers’ alley. Rodgers made $13.65 million last year. That was a bargain, but $1.3 million is a Dollar General-level price for a quarterback.
Which raises a red flag.
The Cardinals will play Murray $36.7 to not play for them.
Then there’s the “homework clause” in Murray’s contract.
It was deleted when it became public.
Murray was required to do four hours of film study every week. No TV or video games during that time.
That sounds like something a parent requires of a seventh-grade boy.
A professional quarterback should put in the time because it’s his job, and it’s important. It shouldn’t take contractual coercion. Did Murray have to sit in detention?
That’s another red flag.
But now Murray is 28. He got cut. If Murray’s next stop isn’t the NFL equivalent of the last-chance saloon, it’s certainly close. Desperation is a stinky cologne.
But all of Murray’s red flags combined aren’t as worrisome as Rodgers being a fossil.
But the Steelers won’t waver.
The Steelers will show no interest in Murray and wait as long as it takes for Rodgers.
Because the Steelers are always right.
Especially when they’re wrong.