Who Should I Start? Aaron Rodgers or Dillon Gabriel

Friday, January 23, 4:36 PM

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be a free agent in March, and the expectation is that he will not return to the Steel City after long-time head coach Mike Tomlin resigned after 19 seasons with the organization. However, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero believes that if Rodgers does decide to come back to play for a new Steelers head coach, it would be former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, who is a native of Pittsburgh. The Steelers are open to the future Hall of Fame QB returning for another year in 2026, but they wouldn't be hiring McCarthy specifically to lure Rodgers back after he led the team to the postseason in 2025. Pittsburgh's ownership isn't interested in rebuilding, so hiring a veteran coach like McCarthy to lead a veteran roster would make a lot of sense. Retirement is very much on the table for Rodgers this offseason, but if the Steelers hire McCarthy as their next head coach, it could push the 42-year-old to return for one last rodeo.

Sunday, December 28, 11:49 AM

Cleveland Browns rookie quarterback Dillon Gabriel (shoulder) injured his left shoulder at some point during the week and has been ruled out for the Week 17 divisional clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday. With Gabriel inactive, Bailey Zappe has been elevated to the 53-man active roster from the practice squad and will serve as rookie Shedeur Sanders' backup this weekend. The 25-year-old Gabriel ended up making six starts for Cleveland in his first year in the NFL in 2025, but he was largely mediocre while failing to push the ball downfield. Gabriel's reign as the team's starting QB ended in Week 11 when he suffered a concussion, opening the door for Sanders to take over. In his six starts, the Oregon product completed 58.9% of his passes for 918 yards, six touchdowns, and two interceptions while adding 86 rushing yards. Gabriel is expected to compete for the starting gig next year with Sanders and Deshaun Watson (Achilles).