Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers is easily the best quarterback remaining on the free agent market, and the future Hall of Famer is being selective with his next team. While most organizations already have a clear answer at quarterback for the upcoming season (for better or worse), the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints still need help at the position. Rodgers may not be the player he once was, but he’s still a starting-caliber quarterback who could help the right organization.
Unfortunately, that organization will not be the New Orleans Saints. During a recent media appearance, Aaron Rodgers made it clear that he will not join the Saints, as the quarterback clearly has no interest in playing down South for the 2025 season.
“No,” Rodgers said, regarding playing with the Saints. “That’s the answer. I’ve played there a couple times, but no.”
Aaron Rodgers Quarterback
New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) is shown after he led Gang Green to a 32-20 victory against the Miami Dolphins, on Jan. 5, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J.
Aaron Rodgers Will Not Play for Saints, Likely To Be Steelers Quarterback
This quote shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise, as it makes sense that the 41-year-old quarterback wouldn’t want to spend his final years on a team clearly entering a rebuild. Even if Derek Carr was healthy and didn’t retire, New Orleans would have a tough time making the playoffs in 2025. After kicking the can down the road in the years after Drew Brees retired, the bill finally came due. This roster is one of the weakest in the league, and now the Saints will spend 2025 seeing if second-round pick Tyler Shough or second-year veteran Spencer Rattler can show some promise.
The Steelers, meanwhile, remain in the same boat they’ve been in since Ben Roethlisberger’s season-ending injury in 2019. The team has a solid roster but lacks the quarterback to elevate a good team into a great one. The 2024 version of Aaron Rodgers couldn’t do that with the Jets, but perhaps the quarterback can succeed in Pittsburgh. If nothing else, he’s better than Mason Rudolph.
Main Photo: Kevin R. Wexler – Imagn Images