Steelers' rumored QB NFL Draft target might have Pittsburgh wishing for Aaron Rodgers

If you want to see Yinzers populate all three rivers by jumping into them, just watch their beloved Pittsburgh Steelers draft Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. That may seem a tad farfetched, but one would think just signing Aaron Rodgers to a contract in free agency would be the better option. Milroe might be QB4 in a week quarterback class.

News of the Steelers' reported interest comes from Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. He reported that "former Alabama [quarterback] Jalen Milroe had dinner [on Tuesday night] in Tuscaloosa with Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, [general manager] Omar Khan and [quarterbacks] coach Tom Arth ahead of his pro day," This may not be what comes to fruition, but right before his pro day is so telling.

What people need to understand is quarterback is a premium position, even in a weak draft for it like the one we expect it to be in 2025. Miami's Cam Ward and Colorado's Shedeur Sanders seem destined to go inside the top five, or one-two in all likelihood. Most prognosticators' QB3 is Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. He could be coming off the board as high as No. 9 or as low as in the 40s...

Again, the main figureheads running the Steelers having dinner with Milroe before his pro day is huge!

Here is why I am not ruling out the Steelers signing Rodgers and then drafting Milroe a month later.

Why Pittsburgh Steelers could get both Aaron Rodgers and Jalen Milroe

Let's start with Rodgers. Pittsburgh is one of the few teams he is reportedly interested in going to that needs a quarterback, but can win right away. The other team of note is the Minnesota Vikings, but it is probably in their best interest to move forward with second-year pro J.J. McCarthy in an attempt to see what they have in him. To me, it feels like Pittsburgh or bust for Rodgers. Bust means retirement.

As for Milroe, he was a fine and sometimes captivating college football player. He has enough starts under his belt at Alabama to not be swimming for his life in the NFL. However, he is still incredibly raw. Milroe could be at times more of a runner than a thrower. Think of him being like a 21st century version of Kordell Stewart, without having to play some wide receiver out of the gate. That is stupid!

What I am getting at is Milroe may be worth a first-round pick around or after where the Steelers are selecting this spring. This is all about having the fifth-year option available. In a way, he might actually be the type of quarterback ground-centric Arthur Smith likes to work with. He had great success with Ryan Tannehill and he loves himself some Marcus Mariota. Of course, Milroe may be Desmond Ridder.

So in theory, the Steelers can afford to bring Rodgers in and then draft Milroe. Rodgers had been there, done that with having his replacement coming in as the backup of the team that he leads. Jordan Love remains the rosetta stone of the good, old-fashioned draft and stash in the 2020s. With that logic, I could get behind what the Steelers might want to do here. There is also this one big thing.

By looking at Pelissero's tweet, I did not see Smith's name attached to it. Although Arth may be the one to groom him and shape him on the sidelines, as Smith is a former offensive guard and tight end specialist, you would want the offensive coordinator of your team in the building when you are meeting with a prospective draft prospect, especially if it was the night right before his big pro day.

The Steelers' interest in Milroe is not everything, but it is something, so we better pay attention to it.