Early Reports Indicate Aaron Rodgers is Trying Run the Steelers the Way He Did the Jets, but His Favorite Target Might Not Come to Pittsburgh. This Should Go Well.

Jason Pohuski. Shutterstock Images.

In team sports, as in life, you typically have to take a holistic approach to the people you surround yourself with. Rarely do you get to just take the good of someone and have the bad be their problem alone. You get the whole person. When your girlfriend wants to go off on a rant about how Cathy from work took credit for something she did and when she went to Monica to complain it was like she wasn't even listening etc, etc, you don't get to interrupt and make her watch that YouTube about Nelson at The Battle of the Nile with you. Again. You have to suck it up and accept the total package as it is. 

That also goes with people you hire. They can't leave part of who they are at the security desk when they come through the door every morning. You hired their flaws as well as the aspects of them that will make you more money than you're paying them, which is the only reason you employ people. And that can especially be true when that new hire is a professional athlete. 

Which the Jets found out when they traded for one of the most high-maintenance athletes of his generation. To accomodate Aaron Rodgers, they hired coaches he wanted to work with. Made trades and free agent signings to bring in his closest buddies from the Packers. Let him redefine what "Mandatory minicamp" means. And essentially wear all the hats as QB/GM/HC of the NYJs. With predictable results.

And now that he finally, at long last, but inevitably has landed in Pittsburgh, what we all assumed would happen might not. 

There was every indication that Rodgers would expect to take the Steeler's wheel, follow the GPS in his heart and start steering in whatever direction he wants to, like he did in New York. Including making the team trade for his best friend on his two previous teams, Allen Lazard:

But not fast on that. Now that Rodgers is semi-officially in Pittsburgh, there are early indications his every wish is not going to be ownership's command:

Source -  The Steelers have not yet replaced receiver George Pickens. Jets receiver Allen Lazard is “in play” to be acquired via trade, now that quarterback Aaron Rodgers has agreed to terms.

But there’s an important question to consider before automatically reuniting Rodgers and Lazard, again: Does Lazard want to do that?

Lazard has a well-earned reputation of being two different players. With Rodgers, good. Without Rodgers, not. …

Per a source with knowledge of Lazard’s thinking, he sees a very real potential benefit to proving his ability to function at an acceptable level without Rodgers as his quarterback. …

           

That doesn’t mean Lazard would reject the opportunity to play with Rodgers again. But it’s not an automatic, knee-jerk, no-brainer. Lazard, at the end of the day, may prefer to make his own path.

First of all, good for Allen Lazard if he wants to stay in New York and see what he can accomplish under a new coach, with a new quarterback, in a new system. As opposed to just lashing himself to the mast of Rodgers' career while it slowly sinks under the waves at the end. 

Second, and more to the point, why would the Steelers' first order of business be trying to pursue a wideout already under contract with another team just because Rodgers wants him? No knock on Lazard, who's a competent, capable, if not spectacular NFL wideout. But just to go down this path to placate your new QB is the same mistake the Jets just made. And will be paying for that mistake for years to come. They were warned Rodgers wants to be romanced:

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… by his own longtime teammate. And they're falling into the very same trap anyway. 

As a reminder, since apparently the organization needs it, you're not the New York Jets. You're the Pittsburgh fecking Steelers. A franchise with pride. With dignity. A history of winning. At the very least, of being competitive. The Steelers haven't had a sub-.500 season in over 20 years. They've made the playoffs the last two seasons, four of the last five, and eight out of the last 10. Now they're going to give control - even partial control - to a 41-year-old who led his team to five wins, got the coach and GM fired, and was almost benched in midseason.

Personally, I hope they do. That holistic approach to employing late-stage Aaron Rodgers because he threw a fair amount of touchdown passes (28; as many as Josh Allen and more than Patrick Mahomes) last season is to pretend he doesn't bring a fair amount of chaos with him. Couldn't happen to a nicer franchise. Or a more deserving QB. Just don't pretend nobody warned you.