The 2025 NFL Draft is a few weeks out, and yes, Aaron Rodgers is still without a team. The four-time MVP has seen opportunities pass him by with the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants, which leaves one obvious fit: the Pittsburgh Steelers.
There is mutual interest, but Rodgers remains unwilling to commit. For now.
This is classic Aaron Rodgers, of course. He relishes every opportunity to hog headlines and drum up controversy, whether it's a nonsensical tirade on The Pat McAfee Show or an unreasonably long free-agent stint. Rodgers is allegedly mulling over retirement, but it feels like he is really hoping against hope that a better team wants him. It won't happen, though, because better teams all employ better quarterbacks.
As the Steelers and Rodgers continue with their eternal staring contest, the draft looms on the horizon. Pittsburgh has the 21st overall pick. Omar Khan could go a number of directions here: more defense, a better running back, more doomed O-line investments. It's all on the table. He could even endeavor to line up Rodgers' replacement, whether the 41-year-old has actually signed yet or not.
In short, Khan plans to base his decision on the best overall talent rather than attempting to address a specific roster flaw. He does not want to get in the habit of drafting for a single positional need, even if Pittsburgh has a few positional needs it should remedy.
Steelers won't let Aaron Rodgers distract them from best available player in NFL Draft
"Our goal is always to put ourselves in a position where we don’t have to take a guy at a specific position,” Khan said on the Steelers' official YouTube account (h/t NBC Sports). “And I feel like we’ve added some key pieces to what we’re trying to accomplish. And this draft is, there’s some really good players in this draft that can help us at various positions. And we’ve been working hard at trying to make sure we set our board right, and there’s more work to come. The next three or four weeks are going to be really important, but we’re right in the middle of it and feel good about it."
This is classic GM-speak, of course, so we can't take everything at face value. But it's hard not to think about Rodgers, who continues to hang over every Steelers decision. Pittsburgh's only QB on the roster right now is Mason Rudolph, a known commodity with limited postseason experience. The alternative options — at least in free agency — are starting to run thin.
Some front offices would target Rodgers and avoid drafting a quarterback as a result. That is not necessarily how Pittsburgh will approach things, though. Khan could justify taking Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart, for example, because he is the so-called best prospect available. Even if that means complicating Rodgers' decision and leaving the quarterback room crowded.
Dart put together a magnificent final season for the Rebels. He led the SEC in completion percentage (69.3) and passing yards (4,279), throwing for 29 touchdowns. He added another 495 yards and three scores on the ground. Much has been made of Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders at the top of draft boards, but Dart has excelled against stiff SEC competition for three years now. Aside from Ward, he probably has the best pure arm talent in the draft. It's not hard to imagine Pittsburgh talking itself into taking the plunge at 21.
If the Steelers select Dart after signing Rodgers, that's one thing. If the Steelers draft Dart and Rodgers still hasn't signed, that is probably more notable. Rodgers carries a high opinion of himself and he bristled at the Packers' decision to draft his eventual successor, Jordan Love. He might be hesitant to sign up for another mentorship job in PGH.
Dart has earned extremely mixed reviews in draft circles. He is not a consensus first-round talent, but quarterbacks tend to get the benefit of the doubt at football's most essential position. As such, don't be shocked if the Steelers consider Dart — a potential long-term lodestar after years of post-Ben Roethlisberger malaise — regardless of how Rodgers feels about it, or how they feel about Rodgers.