Even as his decision has dragged out, the Pittsburgh Steelers have remained patient with Aaron Rodgers . NFL analyst Dave Dameshek, a Steel City native, is sick of letting the four-time Associated Press NFL MVP hold the team's quarterback situation hostage, however.
"Even Art (Rooney II), the owner of an NFL team, having the temerity to talk about Aaron Rodgers, without first getting the permission of Aaron Rodgers, has apparently led us to this," Dameshek said Tuesday in a video on X. "Now they've tendered him, so that no one else can get him. Great news. I don't think anybody else really wants him. Now you're trying to force his hand, so now things have gotten a little bit ugly.
"This is Ryan Coogler who said this, 'You don't invite the vampire into your building!' Because once you do, he will warp your culture."
The Steelers slapped the seldom used UFA tender on Rodgers on Monday, meaning he's locked into negotiations with the team when July 22 arrives. Rodgers went 10-6 as the Steelers' starter last season, passing for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The Steelers hired his former Green Bay Packers head coach, Mike McCarthy, to succeed Mike Tomlin this offseason.
The Steelers could be left with career backup Mason Rudolph and two unproven signal-caller commodities in Will Howard and Drew Allar , the latter of whom was taken in the third round of last week's 2026 NFL Draft.
"In the last couple of years, the Steelers could've taken a run at Sam Darnold or Kyler Murray or Kirk Cousins or Jaxson Dart or Tyler Shough , but, no, they decided to wait out an old man who no one else in the NFL apparently wants," Dameshek said. "And a year ago, the Khan artist accumulated all those draft picks so that he could presumably trade up in this year's draft to get the best available quarterback.
"Well, that didn't happen. And why? Because, like I told you a year ago, and the year before that and the year before that, very often the promise of next year's QB class proves to be a mirage."
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Analyst Bashes Steelers for Seemingly Fruitless Pursuit of Aaron Rodgers: 'Don't Invite the Vampire'
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