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For several months, the Pittsburgh Steelers have been the presumed landing spot for four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers should he actually return to football in 2025. But if Rodgers chooses not to return to the NFL, the Steelers seem to have a clear number two option, and it’s not one that Pittsburgh fans will be excited about.
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports that former Pro Bowl QB Kirk Cousins is on the Steelers’ radar should Rodgers go elsewhere or opt not to play football at all, though Rodgers remains the team’s first choice.
Pittsburgh Steelers Could Pivot To Kirk Cousins Should Aaron Rodgers Fall Through
“I had some conversations with people this week that led me to believe that Cousins is at the very least on the Steelers’ radar, if something were to fall through on Rodgers,” Fowler said during an appearance on SportsCenter on Saturday. “Now, here’s how they could make that happen. Cousins has $37.5 million in guarantees between this year and next year. Somebody’s on the hook for that, whether it’s Atlanta or someone else. So to facilitate a trade, Atlanta would need a team to offset some of that money, whether it’s $4 million, $20 million, whatever it is.
“But the feeling around the league is that Atlanta has not been willing to budge on this. They haven’t shown a lot of interest in trading Cousins, it would take a hefty price tag for another team to wiggle that out. As one source told me, if they were willing to take a small percentage, like let’s say $7 or $8 million of that money, a deal would be done by now. There was interest earlier in the offseason. Right now, Pittsburgh might be the only hope for Cousins or he’s stuck in Atlanta.”
Rodgers, who is still spending his days spreading conspiracy theories on the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, hasn’t made a decision on his future. In fact, he hasn’t even set a deadline for a decision. But Steelers owner Art Rooney II says his team will wait “a little while longer” before making a decision, making it even clearer that Rodgers is seemingly the clear No. 1 option.