Twenty years after he was drafted by the Packers, quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a Steeler. He could have been a Steeler 20 years ago.
Appearing on 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh, former Steelers pro personnel director Doug Whaley said that, as Rodgers plunged through the first round, the Steelers were watching the situation.
“We wouldn’t have had to [trade up],” Whaley said, via Nick Farabaugh of PennLive.com. “We would’ve just sat there. We had him higher than that. We were surprised he was slipping.”
The Packers ended the slide at No. 24. The Steelers didn’t pick that year until No. 30. (They took tight end Heath Miller.)
If Rodgers had been on the board at No. 30, what would the Steelers have done? They’d used a first-round pick in 2004 on quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who helped the team to a 15-1 record and a berth in the AFC Championship.
Rodgers is the objectively better passer. But Roethlisberger won two Super Bowls. But Rodgers beat Roethsliberger in a Super Bowl.
And in the first Super Bowl won by the Steelers since the 1979 season, Roethlisberger didn’t have a stellar day. He completed nine of 21 passes for 123 yards, no touchdowns, and two interceptions in the 21-10 win over the Seahawks. (He also rushed for 25 yards and a touchdown on seven attempts.)
What would Rodgers have done in Pittsburgh, as a rookie and beyond? We’ll never know. But we will know how he does in 2025, four years after Roethlisberger retired.
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