The Pittsburgh Steelers have been busy this offseason with the acquisition of star wide receiver DK Metcalf, the pursuit of a new quarterback and other significant changes to the roster. All of the moves have suggested the team is going all-in on the 2025 NFL season, but it could come back to bite them.
Pittsburgh quickly decided this winter that it didn’t really want to retain Justin Fields or Russell Wilson. While the club expressed some interest in bringing back one of its two quarterbacks from last offseason, it seemed to make little effort in preventing the New York Jets and New York Giants from signing them. Those decisions all can be tied back to a bigger priority.
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The Steelers seemingly went into the offseason fixated on signing Aaron Rodgers, even exercising patience as the future Hall of Fame quarterback hoped the Minnesota Vikings would sign him. Rodgers did meet with Pittsburgh after the Vikings backed off their exploratory interest, but a deal wasn’t signed. Weeks later, with the team still waiting, now it appears this entire pursuit could have been for nothing.
During an appearance on Get Up, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter said that there’s a real chance Rodgers doesn’t play in 2025 and Pittsburgh is currently ‘in the dark’ on his looming decision.
“He met with their coaches, the two sides talked about what it would be like to work together, but there still was no answer about what Aaron Rodgers wants to do. There are people who believe that he may not play this year. There are people who believe he’s waiting to see if something might open down the line in Minnesota with the Vikings, but nobody knows for sure what Aaron Rodgers’ game plan is, and for the time being, the Steelers are in the dark.”
Adam Schefter on the situation with Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers
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Aaron Rodgers stats (ESPN): 3,897 passing yards, 28-11 TD-INT, 63% completion rate, 6.7 ypa, 90.5 QB rating, 40 sacks taken
The four-time NFL MVP’s meeting with Pittsburgh in March went great. However, a contract was never viewed as imminent at the time and there’s been increased speculation that Rodgers might not sign until after the 2025 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, another potential target for Pittsburgh, the Atlanta Falcons now seem inclined to keep Kirk Cousins as a backup in 2025.
Minnesota didn’t officially close the door on eventually signing Rodgers, but it made it clear that J.J. McCarthy is the preferred starting option right now. With the All-Pro quarterback seemingly holding out hope that the Vikings will eventually change their mind and allow him to become the starter, Pittsburgh is left waiting again. Unfortunately for Mike Tomlin and Co., there now appears to be a chance that Rodgers keeps making them wait into the summer. If that happens, Mason Rudolph might be the Steelers starting quarterback in 2025.
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