The Pittsburgh Steelers are growing impatient with Aaron Rodgers, though they should have seen this coming. Rodgers loves to play offseason games. Maybe it's an ego thing or perhaps a way to truly feel in control of his future; either way, Rodgers has had the Steelers handcuffed for months now, and they’ve finally threatened to force his hand.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Steelers have entertained the idea of Kirk Cousins as a Plan B if Rodgers ultimately leads the Steelers on to just retire. The Steelers have indicated their timeline for Rodgers to make a decision by mandatory minicamp; that’s in a few weeks. The Steelers won’t have a choice but to move on if Rodgers continues to hold out.
This comes after Rodgers' biographer stated he believes Rodgers intends on signing with the Steelers, and the QB himself appeared to drop a hint of his own while in Austin, Texas, over the weekend. So it begs the question: Why are the Steelers getting scared now? Are they concerned he’ll back out, or are they simply protecting themselves from waiting this long to make a decision?
The Aaron Rodgers-Pittsburgh Steelers situation gets a new roadblock
The Steelers need to make a decision right now: Rodgers or Cousins. Why? Because there’s a chance they get neither, and then it would have been a wasted offseason as now it’s up to Skylar Thompson and Mason Rudolph to lead this offense.
For Pittsburgh to go from having Justin Fields to Rudolph or Thompson would be catastrophic. Which is why the Steelers need to quit playing Rodgers’ game and make a decision. Cousins will only go to a situation that’s similar to Pittsburgh’s. And the fact that he hasn’t wavered on any potential move suggests he’s hanging around Atlanta at least a little bit longer.
The Steelers are about to come to the same Rodgers realization the New York Jets did: All the drama that follows Rodgers isn’t worth it when the product on the field isn’t even half of what they need. Rodgers was supposed to be the savior in New York and he flopped.
He’s supposed to be the savior for the Steelers, who haven’t won a playoff game in 10 years. That could very well flop, too. The Steelers would then only have themselves to blame. This is what happens when it comes to Rodgers and making offseason decisions.
If the Steelers are even considering asking Atlanta about a trade for Cousins, they need to just do it. That no longer needs to be Plan B, it should now be their new Plan A.