Mark Madden: Steelers remain incompetent at managing quarterback position

Rampant speculation holds that Aaron Rodgers will announce that he’s a Steeler at Pat McAfee’s live event April 9 at PPG Paints Arena.

If that’s the initial confirmation of Rodgers’ commitment, the Steelers will have lost control of that situation from the very first moment. A legendary logo becomes reality TV.

That’s typical of sports and sports media. Why would the Steelers be any different? (Even though they pretend to be.)

Cameron Heyward said the Steelers are “in a state of urgency.”

Mel Blount said the Steelers “need help at every position.” That explains the urgency.

The Steelers have too many holes for any level of urgency to fill, let alone a 41-year-old quarterback with four MVPs but just one lonely Super Bowl ring (and that’s only because Rashard Mendenhall fumbled). Rodgers is three years older than Ben Roethlisberger was when he retired.

Russell Wilson signed with the New York Giants. His tenure as Steelers scapegoat has ended.

The Steelers shouldn’t force-feed their timetable for winning based on making sure that aging vets such as Heyward and T.J. Watt get a shot at a championship. But signing Rodgers indicates them trying to do exactly that.

The Steelers don’t ever really have a timetable for anything beyond their next game. That used to be endearing. It’s helped Mike Tomlin never have a losing season. But lack of big-picture thinking has mostly dug a hole.

I am clearly and sadly sucked into the vortex.

I keep writing and talking about Rodgers and the Steelers’ quarterback situation.

Not because I care. I don’t.

Not because it’s interesting. It isn’t.

Not because Rodgers will make the Steelers a legit contender for anything besides a wild-card berth. He won’t.

I do it because it’s expected, it’s easy, and the marks are captivated.

I may yet learn how to sell dumb to dummies.

A 5-12 season would help the Steelers lots more than going 10-7 and losing in the wild-card round. More than even winning in the wild-card round.

If the Steelers win a playoff game, they run it back with Rodgers in 2026.

Heck, they might do that no matter what. The Steelers don’t like to start rookies. (Never mind that Roethlisberger went 14-1 as a rookie when pressed into service because of injury.)

A 5-12 season would give the Steelers an early pick in the first round of the 2026 draft. That’s when they draft their quarterback of the future but not Kenny Pickett.

There’s zero nobility in never having a losing record if you don’t win playoff games.

The respect for Tomlin’s invented accomplishment is fading because of eight seasons without a playoff win, even among Tomlin’s stooges in the national media.

Tomlin is disdainful of the media. But he knows what’s written and spoken. His drop in gravitas doubtless distresses him.

If I were a fly on the wall when Rodgers met with the Steelers for over six hours, I would have grabbed a fly-swatter and offed myself.

Rodgers spoke with Tomlin and GM Omar Khan. I’m sure he talked at offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. I wonder if Smith told him he couldn’t change plays at the line?

This will be the Steelers’ third straight season with 100% turnover in the quarterback room. They will have a different Week 1 quarterback for the fifth straight year.

They are incompetent at managing the quarterback position. There’s no other conclusion to be drawn.