Rod Woodson had the guts to say what the Steelers are afraid to admit about Aaron Rodgers

Mar 19, 2026 - 12:45

Rod Woodson spent 10 seasons as a Steeler and made the Hall of Fame primarily because of his Pittsburgh days.

When one of the best secondary defenders in NFL history speaks up, his old team should listen.

Steelers legend Rod Woodson was right to speak his mind about Aaron Rodgers

Why did Woodson blast Steelers and Aaron Rodgers?

“What is it with these ex-Green Bay Packers quarterbacks that they have to be talked about all the time?” Woodson recently said on the Rich Eisen Show.

“Cause Brett Favre was that way for years. Remember how we used to have to talk about Brett Favre, talk about Brett Favre? … Is he gonna play?

“Listen, I get kinda tired of it. If he’s (Aaron Rodgers) going to play, say he’s going to play, he’s going to come back. And the team shouldn’t wait for Aaron Rodgers. They need to move forward.”

The late-career similarities between Rodgers and Favre are stunning — and often ignored by the media.

But Woodson is 100 percent correct, primarily when it comes to the Steelers waiting and waiting and waiting on the 42-year-old Rodgers.

Pittsburgh passed on Jaxson Dart in the 2025 NFL Draft, then watched the former Ole Miss quarterback become the new franchise QB of the New York Giants.

“They should’ve taken Jaxson Dart,” Woodson said.

“He fell to them. It was the best opportunity for them to take that quarterback who has that swag, kinda fit into that Steeler mold. And now what are they looking for? That quarterback of the future still.”

Rodgers looks like Favre by dragging out decisions

Ty Simpson believes he’s franchise QB-ready out of Alabama, and could be an option for Pittsburgh in the upcoming 2026 draft.

The Steelers hold the No. 21 overall pick, while Simpson was recently pegged to go to the QB-needy New York Jets at No. 16.

The Steelers could move on from Aaron Rodgers and draft Ty Simpson

Rod Woodson became a Hall of Famer after his Steelers success

It would be easy for Woodson’s old team to trade up, leap the Jets, and snag Simpson.

Either way, Pittsburgh’s biggest current problem is the same problem that the Steelers faced last year — waiting on Rodgers.

The Steelers presented Rodgers with a part-time running back and No. 2 wide receiver during NFL free agency.

But one of the NFL‘s most famous teams still doesn’t know if Rodgers is playing in 2026.

If he retires instead of returning for his 22nd season, the Steelers will immediately become the joke of the NFL.

Steelers could move on in 2026 NFL Draft

Woodson can sense that now and it’s obvious that the 11-time Pro Bowler, six-time All-Pro and 1993 NFL Defensive Player of the Year called out his team to challenge the surreal standstill.

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No one else in the NFL is waiting and waiting on Rodgers, who ranked 23rd in the NFL last year based off QB rating (44.4).

The Minnesota Vikings improved their QB room with Kyler Murray.

The Raiders will soon become relevant with Mendoza, while Carson Beck and Simpson top the list of second-tier draft QBs.

Even if Rodgers returns for one more run in 2026, the Steelers lack a long-term plan — and if they draft a rookie QB, he’ll be forced to sit behind a future Hall of Famer.

Rodgers is making Steelers players, coaches and fans go through the same drawn-out process they were forced to endure last year.

The payoff was a first-round blowout loss in the playoffs, and it’s hard to imagine Pittsburgh being significantly better in 2026.

Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers talks with head coach Mike McCarthy during the fourth quarter of a game against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on September 16, 2018 — Rodgers could be reunited with his old Green Bay Packers coach

Woodson is tired of watching his Steelers get played by Rodgers.

The only person who’s enjoying the wait is a 42-year-old QB who’s destined for Canton, Ohio — with or without another year in Pittsburgh.

The Steelers are desperate for Rodgers, again.

He can walk away at any time, and that’s why Woodson is tired of waiting.

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