It’s deja vu all over again in the Aaron Rodgers situation. Only this time, instead of the New York Jets falling victim to his antics, it’s the Pittsburgh Steelers. And the Jets, well they waited until they got him to bring in a receiver he wanted to play with. The Steelers are trying to get ahead of the game and bring a receiver Rodgers has played with to lure him in before the season.
The Steelers have reportedly expressed interest in trading for Packers receiver Romeo Doubs, per Andrew Fillipponi of 93.7 The Fan, who played with Rodgers in the quarterback's last season in Green Bay. The Packers have bolstered their receiver room, drafting Matthew Golden in the first round of this year’s draft. Because of that, there have been talks of Christian Watson potentially being dealt in a trade.
Instead, it could be Doubs, and it could be Pittsburgh’s final plea to Rodgers to join their squad as they’re now in desperate territory when it comes to filling out their quarterback room.
Steelers are playing Aaron Rodgers’ game and it could fall flat if they aren’t careful
Rodgers ultimately holds all the cards on what he’ll do this offseason. He’s taken his time in making decisions about his future. He’s teased landing spots all spring, yet he’s still a free agent and it doesn’t feel like he’s getting any closer.
The Steelers are doing everything they can to make sure Rodgers can’t curve them because they aren’t an appealing team. With Mike Tomlin’s track record, at worst, the Steelers would end up 9-8. Pittsburgh’s biggest problem is that they can’t win a playoff game and that could be what’s holding Rodgers back.
He already said the Minnesota Vikings would be his ideal landing spot, though nothing has come from that and the Vikings have put all their faith in J.J. McCarthy. The Steelers are in a one-horse race with Rodgers and they’re still having to sweeten the deal for him.
This all feels like a game and the Steelers are playing along. They have wasted the entire offseason on Rodgers and he could easily decide he wants to retire instead of play in Pittsburgh and that would leave them with Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.
At this point, Rodgers just needs to be straight up and quit wasting Pittsburgh’s time. They’re doing everything they should be doing, from adding DK Metcalf as a solid go-to. Though they traded George Pickens, showing interest in Doubs could be the hook to finally reel Rodgers in.
It would be borderline disrespectful if Rodgers didn’t sign with Pittsburgh at this point. They’re playing his game and doing everything they possibly can to make sure he’s happy with the offense before he’s even signed. Doubs is their latest attempt to make sure they didn’t leave anything on the table.
But is it all for naught?