Aaron Rodgers ending up with the Pittsburgh Steelers was likely before the NFL Draft and a near certainty after. Pittsburgh selected only Will Howard at quarterback, using a Day 3 pick for their only quarterback addition. Thus, bringing in Rodgers felt like the only viable remaining option, no matter what the timeline looked like. On Saturday with Derek Carr shocking the NFL world by retiring, however, the New Orleans Saints can now threaten those plans.
While there were rumors that Carr could miss the 2025 season with a shoulder injury, no one expected that retirement would be the end result. Yet, he announced his decision on Saturday. The Saints did use a second-round pick on quarterback Tyler Shough and have Spencer Rattler in the building still as well.
However, depending on what New Orleans is interested in regarding contention this season and their intentions in that capacity, could Rodgers not be an option for them now? If the Saints want to usher in the Kellen Moore era with any kind of smooth landing, getting the veteran multi-time MVP into the building to lead the offense on the field could make some sense.
That's not yet confirmed, but it does seem possible. And even the possibility is a devastating threat to the Steelers.
Derek Carr retirement could spoil Steelers' Aaron Rodgers plans
As much as Pittsburgh can maintain that they'd be comfortable with Mason Rudolph as their starting quarterback in the 2025 season, does anyone actually believe that? We know what Rudolph is at this point in his career, and the Steelers organization perhaps knows that better than anyone. He's the exact type of player you're comfortable starting for a game or two in a backup capacity but are most comfortable with holding a clipboard for the majority of the season.
Thus, the sentiment has been that the Steelers are putting all of their eggs in the Rodgers basket. That seemed to be a well-laid plan with how the offseason bore out because, well, there weren't any other viable options for the veteran quarterback to compete with Pittsburgh in that market. Carr bowing out has turned that on its head.
To be sure, Pittsburgh is still the more attractive option. Rodgers has outwardly stated that he doesn't want to return for another season just because but, rather, to help a team contend. The Saints are arguably much farther away from that than the Steelers, which would give the latter a leg up in any proverbial sweepstakes.
At the same time, figuring out how the Saints want to operate is like an 8-year-old trying to understand advanced calculus. It's possible, but highly unlikely they'll get there. Subsequently, it wouldn't shock anyone if Mickey Loomis and Co. were able to pay and convince Rodgers that New Orleans was the best place for him.
The Steelers can't afford that. Even after the George Pickens trade, this is a team that is still messaging the intent to contend. That becomes much harder to believe in if Rudolph and not Rodgers is under center come Week 1 — or even Howard for that matter.
Pittsburgh seemed content to simply wait on Rodgers' time until the quarterback was ready to join the team. With the Saints now entering the race potentially out of nowhere, though, the luxury of being able to wait might be gone for the Steelers.