The Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers are locked in an everlasting stare-down, neither side budging. With Russell Wilson officially on the New York Giants, this feels like the only path forward for Rodgers. He will either sign with the Steelers, or wait indefinitely for a different opportunity to open up. Or, maybe he justs retires.
As NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported on ESPN, there has been a steady dialogue on both sides. Rodgers visited the Steelers facility last week and there is a one-year contract offer on the table.
Tom Pelissero tells Jim Rome Aaron Rodgers deal would the Steelers is only for 1 year. Take it or leave it. And that Rodgers “invited himself” to the Steelers facility for a visit. Watch. pic.twitter.com/aKdChNpttW
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) March 27, 2025
Despite zero mutual interest with any other team, Rodgers remains reluctant to commit to Pittsburgh. That puts the Steelers in a bind. The rest of the free agent market has dried up, and the Steelers aren't in position to land a franchise talent in the NFL Draft. Rodgers can keep stringing them along and making this last longer than it needs to, but Pittsburgh doesn't necessarily have to sit there and take it.
There are other quarterbacks in the marketplace. None are "ideal" starting QBs in 2025, but honestly, neither is Aaron Rodgers. And none of them present quite the headache that Rodgers does. The 41-year-old, four-time MVP has earned the right to determine his own future, but the Steelers are under no obligation to play along. If Rodgers wants to drag this out, Pittsburgh can pivot.
Here are a few viable options worth considering.
3. Joe Flacco
Joe Flacco and the Steelers are old enemies. The 40-year-old spent the bulk of his career with the Baltimore Ravens, including a Super Bowl MVP award in 2012. That said, Flacco has never been afraid to sign with former rivals before. He spent the 2023 campaign in Cleveland and the 2024 campaign in Indianapolis. Why not add Pittsburgh to his AFC infinity gauntlet?
This is not an exciting option for Steelers fans, but it could be worse. Flacco salvaged a Browns postseason bid a couple years ago and made six starts in his lone season with the Colts. Flacco didn't necessarily dominate for Indy, but he threw 12 touchdowns (to seven interceptions) and completed a healthy 65.3 percent of his pass attempts.
He's not the elite, efficient game manager he once was, but Flacco still stands tall in the pocket with plenty of zip behind his passes. Rodgers lost more than a step in his age-41 season. Flacco won't get outside the pocket and scramble much at all, but there remains confidence and velocity behind his throws. Pittsburgh doesn't ask much from its QBs, so there's reason to believe he can win enough games to put the Steelers back in the playoffs (even if he can't advance deep). I'd categorize the Rodgers fit in very similar terms.
2. Carson Wentz
Carson Wentz has been on the journeyman's path in recent years. The No. 2 overall pick not long ago, Wentz was the engine behind a Super Bowl-winning Eagles team. He was supposed to be the next star quarterback — a perennial Pro Bowl candidate with MVP upside. Injuries and other, um, shortcomings took their toll, however. Now he's just looking for a job.
Wentz has been heavily tied to Pittsburgh's division rivals in Cleveland, which is even more incentive for Omar Khan to place a phone call. If the Steelers would rather see Kenny Pickett twice this season, signing Wentz gives them good odds. The 31-year-old clearly has his flaws, but Wentz is still a reasonably talented individual and he's not half as cooked as Rodgers, who is a decade older.
Don't read this as "Wentz > Rodgers," but also don't not read it that way. We didn't see much of Wentz last season behind Patrick Mahomes, but we've seen plenty of quarterbacks find a second wind after spending a season as a reserve in an elite offensive scheme. Take, for example, Sam Darnold. Wentz's career has been on a downturn for much longer than Darnold's, but there are parallels there. He's a confident big-play thrower with turnover issues. Maybe Pittsburgh's dink-and-dunk scheme can help Wentz settle into a more efficient, and thus more productive, role.
1. Kirk Cousins
The Atlanta Falcons want to trade Kirk Cousins. It's a poorly kept secret. All this talk of keeping him as Michael Penix Jr.'s backup is nothing more than a leverage ploy. Atlanta is all-in on its sophomore signal-caller. Cousins is a distraction, a black cloud the organization would love to shake. All it takes is one willing trade partner.
Rodgers absolutely outperformed Cousins last season and has, on balance, been the better quarterback for the past decade. That said, the Steelers couldn't be blamed for preferring Cousins at this stage. Rodgers comes with infinite baggage and plenty of distractions. He's also five years older. Cousins might have a few more starting seasons under his belt. Rodgers feels like a one-and-done candidate.
Last season was a full-blown disaster for Cousins. He led the NFL in interceptions (16) and fumbles (13) in 14 starts. Once a master of play-action, Cousins looked completely rigid and immobile in the pocket for Atlanta. He couldn't withstand pressure, which led to the remarkable volume of silly turnovers.
That said, Cousins was also coming off the first major knee injury of his career at 36. He is allegedly healthier now. The track record is awfully strong. If Cousins can cut those mistakes in half, he's still a solid starter. He's also operates with a certain professionalism, which helps a locker room. Rodgers, not so much.
If the asking price isn't too ridiculous (and it won't be), Pittsburgh should strongly consider placing a phone call to Atlanta and letting another team wait on Rodgers, if he even decides to suit up again.