After my beloved Pittsburgh Steelers pulled the checkbook out. They signed future hall of fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers for a 1 year $13.65 Million contract (with $10 Million guaranteed). One thing was made very clear to me after hearing this news. The Steelers are not as defense-driven as they have been in the past. Now do I think that this signing undermines the entire core of their team? No, I do not think this, but I do think this will affect the defense. Whether or not this will be a positive or negative shift, we will have to get closer to the preseason. What I can see now though is the defense, and there are a lot of positive adjustments being made there. Pittsburgh has always been a “defense wins championships” type of franchise. Even looking all the way back to 1969, when arguably the most known player in franchise history was drafted. Defensive Tackle Charles “Mean Joe” Greene was drafted. He has since been the leading member of the history behind the Steelers defense. From the Steel Curtain, to Blitzburgh, to the 2000s crew led by Joey Porter. Pittsburgh has had a longstanding tradition in Defense. Therefore let’s analyze this current era of defense and how it will look moving forward.
Let’s begin with an overview of how the defense looks heading into the 2025 year. For starters, Derrick Harmon looks to be a promising rookie. Steelers Defensive line coach Karl Dunbar has named him the starter. Other notable key figures in this roster are linebackers TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith. The Eagles’ rumored $68 Million contract offer for Highsmith in a trade proposal is alarming news for us Steelers fans. Our defense relies on him. He forms the perfect duo with Watt. Together, they keep the defense as the core of our required gameplan to success. Brandon Graham who is retiring makes the landscape that much more that Highsmith is traded. While his contract runs through 2027, one can only imagine if he will be moved to a different team. I mention this because the Steelers’ salary cap is affected by Rodgers. They will need to reorganize the defensive checkbook. Their defense has many loyal players. These include Cam Heyward and TJ Watt who seem unlikely to leave for a higher paycheck. That doesn’t mean everyone will apply to this logic, and even then Watt and Heyward will need a reasonable extension. As of now, Watt’s current deal will expire at the end of the 2025 season. Heyward’s will expire after 2026. It seems like a long time away. We need to be aware that Watt is looking for a contract similar to Myles Garrett.
Throughout the Aaron Rodgers news hitting the NFL world by storm, with some thinking this news was almost inevitable. It finally came true after two months of speculation. Now the Black and Gold will have some new challenges for 2025. TJ Watt and Cam Heyward are already established leaders. They need to mentor the defense. Let the offense do their thing. While this seems like it will work in a perfect world, we must acknowledge an important and difficult reality. Watt will want to be paid and while it is certainly deserved, it may affect the offense. Hopefully this influences Rodgers to retire after one season. That way, they can pay TJ in 2026. If this is how things are expected to end, why did they even sign Aaron initially? My theory is to have someone with more experience. This person can hopefully mentor Will Howard. Will Howard was a superstar at the NCAA level. Rodgers signing to Pittsburgh is certainly a “brand name” quarterback. We’ll have to see if his play can live up to the Rodgers image. The defense will certainly be affected because of how a team operates. The actions of the offense affect defense, and the opposite. With that being said, TJ Watt is the leader of the steelers and practically the new face of the franchise. Thus, no matter how the offense plays this season, it will come down to the Steelers defense. They must go out there. They need to play the best football week in and week out. For the purpose of continuing on the tradition and legacy of Pittsburgh Steelers football.
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