If Aaron Rodgers Retires, Pittsburgh Steelers Could Turn to Top CFB QB Options
This article was originally published on Total Pro Sports.
Mike McCarthy thought he left the Aaron Rodgers waiting game behind in Green Bay. Turns out he just changed zip codes. The Steelers are right back where they were last year, stuck on hold while their 42-year-old quarterback decides if he’s got one more season in him. Omar Khan made it clear at the combine in Indianapolis that nobody’s doing this dance again. The difference now? McCarthy’s presence might actually tip the scales.
Rodgers and McCarthy spent 13 seasons together with the Packers. That history matters. Adam Schefter reports the belief around the league is that Rodgers will make his decision by mid-March, and the feeling is he could return. But “could” doesn’t fill a roster spot. Khan’s preparing for both outcomes, and if Rodgers walks, Pittsburgh needs a quarterback fast.
Carson Beck, Ty Simpson, and Garrett Nussmeier are the names floating around. All three started big college games last season. All three come with red flags.
The Steelers took the AFC North at 10-7. Rodgers threw 24 touchdowns against seven picks and completed 65.7% of his passes. ESPN’s Brooke Pryor called his return “more likely than not” on SportsCenter.
The College Prospects To Replace Aaron Rodgers Don’t Inspire Confidence
Beck looked like a lock for the top of the draft after Georgia’s 2023 season. He torched teams for 3,941 yards and led the conference in completions. The Orange Bowl was a 63-3 blowout. Then, in 2024, Beck fell apart. He threw 12 interceptions in a six-game stretch. A hand injury ended his Georgia career. He transferred to Miami for one last shot at fixing his stock.
It didn’t work. Beck started 5-0, and people thought he’d recaptured the magic. The picks kept coming, though. Twelve interceptions across 16 games, including a four-pick disaster against Louisville. Steelers Wire’s latest mock has Pittsburgh taking him in the third round anyway. That’s where his value sits now. A developmental guy with arm talent and zero consistency.
Simpson throws a better ratio. Twenty-eight touchdowns to five picks across 15 starts at Alabama. Mel Kiper Jr. told ESPN the kid could sit behind Rodgers and learn before taking over. Simpson is 6-foot-2 with over 3,500 yards last season. The problem? He was wildly inconsistent. Kiper admits it. The upside is there for those who can harness it.
Then there’s Nussmeier, and the McCarthy connection runs deep. Garrett’s father, Doug, coached quarterbacks under McCarthy in Dallas from 2020 to 2022. Garrett was around the facility as a kid. McCarthy knows the family. He knows the player. What he also knows is Nussmeier threw just 1,927 yards and 12 touchdowns across nine games in 2025 while battling a torso injury. The LSU product measured 6-foot-1 and 202 pounds at the Senior Bowl. His hands are 8 3/4 inches. Those aren’t NFL-ready measurables.
McCarthy built Rodgers into an MVP in Green Bay. If Rodgers retires, McCarthy’s stuck developing someone who isn’t close to that caliber.
