The Pittsburgh Steelers have patiently waited for veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers to make a decision, but the clock is ticking.
Pittsburgh allowed both of last year’s starting quarterbacks, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, to depart for the Meadowlands in free agency. The Steelers filled the vacated role by signing quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson, but neither is expected to be a viable starting candidate.
Rodgers met with the Steelers for six hours and even held a practice session with wide receiver DK Metcalf, but he never put ink to paper. During a recent appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” the 41-year-old made it clear that he has not made any commitments, either to Pittsburgh or to retirement.
Steelers may be the perfect landing spot for Kirk Cousins
The Steelers evidently need a backup plan in case Rodgers backs out, and they may find what they’re looking for in Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins.
Cousins signed a four-year, $180 million contract with the Falcons last offseason, but both sides quickly came to regret that decision. Cousins notched 3,508 passing yards and 18 touchdowns before he was benched in favor of rookie quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who Atlanta selected in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft. Now, the veteran quarterback is among the league’s most expensive backup quarterback, and Atlanta is looking to offload his contract.
Atlanta has requested that any team trading for Cousins also absorbs $20 million of the $45 million in remaining guaranteed money on his contract, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. While that figure has deterred serious offers, there’s a belief that the Steelers would be willing to pay approximately $10 million of Cousins’ guaranteed money.
While the Minnesota Vikings were also named as a potential landing spot for Cousins, the Steelers are in a much better position to pay for the struggling veteran quarterback. The Steelers are currently ranked last in salary cap spending at the quarterback position. Their two current quarterbacks carry a combined average annual salary of $4.9 million and account for just 1.48 percent of the team’s 2025 salary cap, per Spotrac.
The Steelers are no strangers to capitalizing on other teams’ mistakes. Last year, they signed Wilson for mere pennies and left the Denver Broncos on the hook for his salary. This scenario could play out similarly, although it would certainly cost more than Wilson did.
There is another wild card at play this time around. Cousins' contract contains a no-trade clause, which gives him the right to refuse a trade to any team. Still, it's hard to imagine a quarterback declining to play for Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, particularly after the offense added wide receiver DK Metcalf this offseason.