How much longer do Pittsburgh Steelers fans have to wait for a resolution with QB Aaron Rodgers? The Steelers are still in the midst of voluntary OTAs, but we are less than 10 days away from the beginning of mandatory minicamp. Will Rodgers sign before then? Or will the Steelers turn their attention to Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins?
Well, now that the calendar has turned to June, it will be a bit easier from the Falcons’ perspective. Steelers Depot’s Dave Bryan looked at Cousins’ salary cap situation with the Falcons, and a trade makes much more sense for the Falcons now. They save over $20 million by trading him now versus prior to June 1.
But what about the Steelers? Would a trade for Cousins make sense? Former NFL LB Bart Scott thinks Cousins would be a better fit for the Steelers than Rodgers right now. It all comes down to viability beyond 2025.
“Kirk Cousins offers you multiple years of a solution,” Scott said Monday on ESPN’s Get Up. “I don’t think he’s a better player, I think Aaron Rodgers had a sneaky solid season coming back from the Achilles. But I think [Cousins] offers you the ability to have two years of a system with one player that everybody can get comfortable around.”
Rodgers certainly had a better statistical season than Kirk Cousins in 2024, despite the instability with the New York Jets. Rodgers completed 63 percent of his passes for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Cousins actually completed a higher percentage of his passes (66.9 percent) but for 3,508 yards and 18 touchdowns with a league-high 16 interceptions. And he only played in 14 games. Cousins did have a higher average yards per attempt than Rodgers as well (7.7 to 6.7).
It’s hard to imagine Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin signing up for a quarterback who led the league in interceptions despite not playing a full season. However, Kirk Cousins was not as far along in his recovery from tearing his Achilles as Aaron Rodgers was. That certainly affected Cousins’ play at points in 2024.
Above all else, it’s what Kirk Cousins offers that Aaron Rodgers doesn’t that appeals to people like Bart Scott. Cousins will turn 37 in August. Rodgers turns 42 in December. It’s really hard to imagine that Rodgers will be a starter past 2025 due to his age. Cousins needs to improve from 2024, but he should be able to play longer.
We know that the Steelers thought that QB Russell Wilson could be a multi-year solution when they signed him as a free agent. That obviously didn’t work out, but I think the Steelers really want some level of stability at the quarterback position. Rodgers doesn’t offer that. Cousins theoretically could. And former NFL general manager Mike Tannenbaum agrees with Scott.
“I totally see it the same way,” Tannenbaum said to Scott. “He’s five years younger than Aaron Rodgers. You might get two to three really good years out of Kirk Cousins.”
If Kirk Cousins is able to play at a high level in 2025 (and beyond), that would help keep the Steelers competitive to allow players like Cam Heyward and T.J. Watt to make an impact late in their careers.
But former Steelers CB Bryant McFadden doesn’t think that Cousins would be all that much of an upgrade over QB Mason Rudolph, especially given his contract and the cost of potential draft pick compensation to get him. And if Cousins doesn’t offer much in the way of better play, the Steelers would be better off just playing Rudolph in 2025.
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