Art Rooney II told the world that the Pittsburgh Steelers would wait a little while longer, but not forever for Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind. I am guessing we are approaching what he would consider “forever” as the second and final week of voluntary OTAs begins today. Mandatory minicamp starts next week and is Rodgers’ last chance to spend time with the team prior to training camp. His continued absence may force the Steelers’ hand in considering alternate options like Atlanta Falcons QB Kirk Cousins.
“I think that that option has to be discussed at that point in time,” Schefter said Tuesday via ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike. “Do we want to go pursue Kirk Cousins or do we want to continue to wait this out? I think that conversation has to be had if a week from now when that mandatory minicamp get underway Aaron Rodgers has not committed to the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
At a certain point, unless Rodgers has shaken some hands behind the scenes and given a strong indication that he will eventually sign, how could the Steelers fully trust his intentions? And if they need to start preparing a backup plan, they are running out of valuable practice time to do so.
No matter what outside opinion is of the Steelers, they always view themselves as being capable of winning in the current season. They will have to add to the quarterback room, and the list of options isn’t very long. If they end up trading for Kirk Cousins, he will almost certainly be the starter over Mason Rudolph.
Rudolph acknowledged this offseason that compensation often determines the depth chart. In the event of a trade, Cousins would have a draft pick and at least some of the guaranteed money owed to him by the Falcons invested in him by the Steelers.
With Cousins, the Steelers would be making the same bet that an aging quarterback can bounce back with an additional year of recovery from an Achilles injury. But Rodgers showed more signs of life in 2024 than Cousins and he would cost less to acquire. Rodgers continues to put the Steelers in a tough spot until he makes up his mind.
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