Aaron Rodgers is taking NY Giants rejection about as poorly as humanly possible

A major free agency domino fell on Tuesday evening when Russell Wilson inked a one-year, $21 million contract with the New York Giants.

He figures to assume the QB1 mantle in East Rutherford, with Jameis Winston and Tommy DeVito as his backups. In signing Wilson, the Giants seemingly gave away their NFL Draft plans and took arguably the best available quarterback off the board. That is, unless you're more into Aaron Rodgers, who has been trafficking in the same rumors over the last several weeks.

Rodgers appeared to be choosing between the Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers, with both teams also involved in the Wilson sweepstakes. Now it's just Pittsburgh and Rodgers in an everlasting stare-down, barring an unforeseen change of course from the Minnesota Vikings.

It's unclear how seriously Rodgers and the Giants were interested in one another, but with his options waning, it's starting to sound like the four-time MVP is getting cold feet. This probably isn't how he envisioned this offseason unfolding. We know Rodgers has an inflated sense of self, which he has earned to some extent over the years. He wants to play for a winner and be treated as a franchise centerpiece. How many front offices and coaching staffs are willing to give him such luxuries?

The Steelers still desperately need a starting quarterback, but it sounds like this Giants dismissal could lead Rodgers to give up football altogether.

Aaron Rodgers isn't a locked to play football in 2025 after Giants sign Russell Wilson

ESPN's Adam Schefter believes the Steelers and Aaron Rodgers "need each other," but he's not convinced Rodgers actually wants to play next season. The 41-year-old could opt for retirement and leave Pittsburgh high and dry.

This feels quintessentially Aaron Rodgers. He is going to drag out his decision until the end of time, sparking all sorts of conversation and speculation before conceding at the last possible second and signing in Pittsburgh. Just prepare yourself, because that's how this ends. The Steelers are virtually out of alternate options, so patience shouldn't be much of an issue. Worst-case scenario, we get to see Mason Rudolph under center again in 2025. That kind of worked last time.

Rodgers was still good enough last season to warrant QB1 looks, but the headache and the supermassive amounts of media attention far outweigh the on-field benefits at this point. He gets to coast on his laurels a bit, which is understandable, but Rodgers' arm talent and mobility aren't what they once were. He struggled under pressure last season and wasn't able to deliver those pinpoint deep strikes we became so accustomed to in Green Bay.

Few teams can tread water with a mediocre quarterback better than Pittsburgh, which is probably part of the appeal for Rodgers if he does stick around. Mike Tomlin, like, never misses the playoffs. He may not get past the first round, but at least he's there at the end of the regular season. The Steelers are a stout defensive team with the ability to win slow, mucky games. That has not really been Rodgers' M.O. over the years — he wants free reign to change plays at the line of scrimmage and attack the jugular — but as he transitions into this twilight stage of his career, maybe he needs Pittsburgh's simple, efficient scheme to prop him up and give him one last shot on the postseason stage.

Time will tell, but it's clear the Giants' decision to sign Russell Wilson has increased the buzz around a potential retirement for Rodgers, whose future lies in the Football Hall of Fame.