11:45pm: Rodgers has slow-rolled his free agency decision on the advice of his agent, David Dunn, per Pro Football Network’s Mike Florio. The Steelers offered him a contract close to the beginning of free agency, but they have yet to improve the terms of the deal to entice him to sign. Rodgers also met with offensive coordinator Arthur Smith during his visit, per the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac, but left the team’s facility without a deal.
Rodgers has been trying to wait Pittsburgh out in pursuit of a better contract, but he has seen his interest from other teams wane. He does not have any other visits scheduled, per The Athletic’s Jeff Howe, which may cause the Steelers to stand firm with their initial offer instead of bidding against themselves.
12:34pm: The Aaron Rodgers watch continues, and Friday has seen what could prove to be a notable development. The league’s top remaining free agent quarterback is currently visiting the Steelers’ facility, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.
The Steelers have long been known as one of the top Rodgers suitors, with discussions picking up around the time of Justin Fields working out a deal with the Jets. Retaining Fields was Pittsburgh’s preference, but his departure leaves the team in need of a veteran passer (which may or may not be 2024 starter Russell Wilson). Mason Rudolph is back in the organization, but his signing has not slowed down Rodgers-Steelers connections.
The Vikings represented the top name to watch on this front until recently. Minnesota has not submitted an offer to Rodgers at this point, and one is not expected as things stand. Pittsburgh, on the other hand, is among the suitors which has made an offer. Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports it still stands, adding Rodgers met with the Steelers’ coaches today. A deal could be worked out in short order as a result. General manager Omar Khan also took part in today’s summit, per Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer.
Since Ben Roethlisberger‘s retirement, Pittsburgh has been unable to find a long-term solution under center. Rodgers would not meet that criteria at the age of 41, but the four-time MVP could provide starting-caliber play on a short-term basis for Pittsburgh or any number of teams. Wilson’s time in the organization went well at first, but at the end of the campaign his play (and that of the offense in general) fell short of expectations.
Owner Art Rooney II made it clear after the Steelers’ wild-card loss that keeping Wilson and Fields in place again in 2025 would be unlikely. The latter quickly secured $30MM guaranteed from the Jets, the team which elected to move on from Rodgers under its new regime of Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey. That decision did not come as a surprise, but it has not stopped the longtime Packer from generating a notable market. With preliminary Steelers talks not producing an agreement, the Giants have made an offer of their own (one which is believed to be stronger than Pittsburgh’s).
Wilson is ready to sign a deal for 2025, whether it is with Pittsburgh, New York, Cleveland or another suitor. His future will not be clear until the Rodgers domino falls, however. Joe Flacco is another veteran to watch in the case of the Steelers (and other teams still in need of a passer at this stage of free agency). Pittsburgh could begin the next phase of the QB carousel shortly with a Rodgers arrangement.
And it just keeps getting funnier to me every time I read it!
It’d be funnier if this devolves to a point that Cousins is coming in for a visit
He can’t, He’s under contract.
Read the latest threads, Mike
Seems like Atlanta is playing poker.
(And I did not mean a visit as a prospective free agent)
Is it more hilarious than having Kenny Pickett as your QB1 in Cleveland?
Paying Rodgers a ton of money to basically shred your organization is way more funnier to me anyway Goku. Pickett is just sad as a #1. As horrible a decision as Watson was I think this is funnier.
Rodgers is not too far removed from back to back seasons as league MVP
They’ll pay up this season, where they have a ton of cap space.
This isn’t like giving Daniel Jones or Blake Bortles a massive extension that is immediately regretted
Rodgers probably getting a 2 year deal, with very little in 2026 guarantees (essentially a club option)
Not too far removed from back to back MVP seasons? And Watson isn’t too far removed from 4863 yards and 33 TD’S
Mike is a Chicago guy
I can’t say he’s wrong about how the Steelers have bungled this entire process
I keep asking myself, If Tomlin had it to do over again would he just insert Wilson in at QB when they were 4-2? Knowing it would lead to Fields getting mad and just blowing them off? I’m pretty sure he’d SAY he would. But would he really MEAN it? How much better off would they be if they didn’t try to save the 4th round pick and have Fields already signed and then tried to figure out he whole picture? That’s why I’m laughing. The fact they’re even considering a hump like Rodgers at this point in his career is, As Spock would say Fascinating.
Given all the alternatives, I agree. Rodgers, Wilson, Cousins…. regardless of which, they’re just kicking the can down the road. It’ll be the same story one year from now, from number of wins, to playoff flameout. ( if they make it) to signing another QB
Not that I was a Fields guy, but he was the best option, at least to me
I’m not a Steelers fan but I respect the organization and Mike Tomlin – man, I hope they don’t do this. I REALLY don’t want Tomlin to lose his streak by bringing in and relying on Rodgers.
If they want to bring him in to back up Rudolph, that’s fine, but I doubt Rodgers will go for that.
I don’t understand the fascination with wanting Mason Rudolph to start. He’s not very good and turns the ball over pretty regularly. I’m not Rodgers fan at all, and with those speedy receivers I think they should just go for Danger Russ and his superior arm strength. But calling for Rudolph over Rodgers is wild to me.
They can’t keep this revolving door of QBs going forever. Here’s a franchise that missed twice on replacements for Roethlisberger. The first was Rudolph, not a franchise QB. The second is what’s killing them now, the Pickett fiasco
No, Rudolph isn’t a franchise QB but there are two points here. One, he’s a helluva lot cheaper…and this team has other holes. Two, it necessitates them looking to draft a QB, something they should be doing until they get it right
Whether it’s Rodgers, Wilson or Rudolph, it’s hard to see them winning more than 8-10 games. Why spend the money on guys like this ?
Could be worse, they could’ve traded up for Bryce Young or Anthony Richardson
Pickett didn’t hurt the org much. He was a luxory pick at 20 , decent chance they would’ve moved back and taken George Pickens anyways (barely got him r2)
Only issue with Kenny Pickett was he won too many games and Steelers didn’t get a high pick
Anytime you draft a quarterback in the middle of the 1st round and he starts as a rookie and you get rid of him 18 months later for a Day 3 pick, it hurts the organization big
And yet still Kenny’s record was 14-10 with the steelers
There’s guys who get drafted top 10 who go 8-26
I’m not losing any sleep over taking a potential game manager QB at 20. It was still the right pick for the time and he did (somehow) manage a 62% completion rate
He certainly looked to give it his all in every game and made for a few epic moments.
Is he a franchise QB? No.
Did he do his part in playing a decent stop gap role as a late R1 QB? I think so
So now Cleveland has the guy with a 64% completion percentage and no Canada as a OC
Keywords: “decent stop gap”
Kenny can be a below average QB and still worth a late 1st for a team with Trubisky at QB1
He can be a decent stop gap for the Browns too,
Are you saying you’re jealous of the Browns for having Pickett now? Im confused by the logic here.
He was taken 20th. Hardly a “late” 1st. Pickett most likely won’t get a chance to play much for the Browns but I believe that he’d do better under Stefanski than he did under Canada. Still no better than a game manager at best. Definitely not 1st round material
It’s just not debatable that the steelers would’ve passed on the top qb in the draft at 20 , being that they needed a QB and he broke records at Pitt U
You may not think (especially in hindsight) that Kenny was 1st round material , but the reality is he would’ve been gone top 40 and likely 32
So they reached? Again, my original response was that anytime some team picks a quarterback 20th and trades him for a Day 3 pick, it hurts the team
No they took the appropriate player in the right slot while needing a QB
Kenny would’ve still been their starting QB last year had “opportunity” not knocked with Wilson falling into their lap for league minimum, and another for a round 7 pick
In other words, I don’t think they went out of their way to replace him, things just kind of fell into place that lead to him being shipped off
And ya I do agree with your sentiment overall, it’s just that they did get 2 years of starts from a 20th overall qb , and would’ve gotten 3 in a normal setting. I guess I just think that’s pretty acceptable for a QB taken outside the top 15 historically
What? They replaced Pickett because they didn’t think he was that good. Jacksonville isn’t replacing Lawrence. The Bears aren’t replacing Williams. They still have faith. Steelers lost faith. You don’t go out and sign a benched 35 year old quarterback if you still think your 1st round pick was still a capable starter. You should change your username
Why? Because the FO feels that Aaron Rodgers provides the Steelers with a better opportunity to win games than Wilson or Rudolph.
Rudolph did not sign for $4m/year to start — he signed that to be QB2. If Sanders/Dart/Howard/Milroe is who the Steelers feel good enough to draft…he sits behind Rodgers and Rudolph.
And Schough is better than all the guys you listed.
Yeah. The FO is delusional if it thinks this guy will take them to the promised land. But they were delusional when they drafted Pickett, too
This isn’t a contender with a QB2 OR with any of the has-been out there
Mason probably has the strongest arm of the 3 at this point
Rodgers most capable of winning a playoff game
Russ most capable of holding onto the ball too long
Russ could probably throw further than Rudolph with his left arm. And after years of the Big Ben experience, Steelers fans are more than comfortable with their QB holding the ball way too long. Rudolph couldn’t beat Will Levis out in camp last year… think about that. Rodgers and Russ are HoF, Super Bowl winning QBs and you would rather give the reigns to a playoff team to the guy who looked worse than Will Levis.
Rodgers’ mobility was the problem. His arm is still fine. Rudolph is actually bottom tier trash and should not be in consideration for any starting job. He couldnt beat out Levis, despite Levis’ best efforts
Russ does not have the arm strength they need. He under threw receivers deep often last year.
Start Rudolph. Draft Jaxson Dart
Dart. Or my preference, Schough.
You know it’s been on my mind
Could you stand right there
Look me straight in the eye
And say that it’s over now?
We pay our debt sometime
Yeah, we pay our debt sometime
Ahh…the breakup song. ;-(
Pretty appropriate, too. Tomlin winning no matter how bad the roster is is why they can’t get the pieces they need to get beyond the 9-8 trap they are stuck in…
Teams that win for a long time pay their debt sometime (see Patriots, New England) but Tomlin won’t let them.
To some extent, but you still can make up for it with good drafting.
They’ve been able to find the likes of TJ Watt and Cam Heyward later in drafts.
If anything, avoiding QBs in Ben’s career hurt them more than picking in the early 20s recently
Hindsight is 20/20 but I can assure you that a young Knowledgeable One was absolutely pounding the drum for the Steelers to take Louisville product Lamar Jackson in 2018 when they took (checks notes) Terrell Edmunds, to add immediate “help” to the secondary on a contender.
The very first time I ever heard the name Patrick Mahomes was a Steelers beat writer mentioning that the Steelers were interested in him and might even trade up for him. Ben was still in his prime, might have been coming off his best year even, but they still wanted this guy which made me realize they must think he’s special.
They were right, but there are 31 other teams and Reid beat them to the punch.
Jackson was considered a total boom or bust. Credit the Ravens for taking the risk.
“If they want to bring him in to back up Rudolph”
lmao. Are you serious? You think the Steelers would bring in Aaron Rodgers to back up Mason Rudolph? The guy who couldn’t even hack it last year on the literal worst team in the league? And you think Rudolph gives them a better chance to win? What planet are you Rudolph fans on? His *ceiling* is a solid back-up QB. Rodgers, for all of his troubles, is a *far* superior QB to Rudolph. Craaaazy.
Heyward already seems sick of the Rodgers circus. Deep balls to Metcalf and Pickens could be fun, but Rodgers hates when receivers aren’t exactly in tune with where he wants them to be, which makes that seem like a very combustible fit.
I think Rodgers can still be a top 20 quarterback in football right now, but I see more downside than upside to any team with a current quarterback need inviting him to be their main character this year.
@oooof. Thanks for pointing that out. Rodgers pays attention to detail, and doesn’t pivot. He blamed Williams because he was throwing balls at his cleats and he’s a jump ball reciever. Also he doesn’t have speed to adjust like he did. Kinda like russ short but can’t scramble around anymore. Rodgers isn’t short just not mobile anymore. He missing the extra two seconds to throw.
He also hates play action and pre-snap motion, two good tools for getting open looks.
Great points. Rodgers and Pickens especially would be fireworks every week.
Pickens and Pickens is bad enough.
It’s gonna be a fun season
I’m all for Rodgers because it buys them a year
Some people want them to tank, that could happen with AR.
Some people want them to be competitive, in possibly TJ Watt’s final season with the team, that could happen with AR too.
… and the best part is, Tomlin can once again take absolutely no accountability, and blame Rodgers if things go awry.
It’s a perfect fit
Dam it.
Another entilted athlete. Steelers show some nads and go elsewhere.
Finally lol
He is visiting them like a little kid that does not want to go to his grandparents. Ok I will go but I won’t have fun. Oh wait you want to give me a bunch of money (and his only real option)? Ok i guess I will let you.
Well the sun is shining here today. Maybe they can stop for some ice cream at Page’s later on.
If Rodgers does join the Steelers, it could lead to some fascinating drama. Rodgers, HC Tomlin, OC Art Smith, free spirited WR Metcalf and undisciplined, possible head case WR Pickens. Not to mention the need to win and excel in a tough division.
Sounds like the recipe for an AFC championship loss.
Making it to the AFC championship? That would be an accomplishment. I suppose anything is possible. I was going with keeping the Tomlin non losing season streak in tact at best. The Steelers 2025 schedule looks pretty tough, at least at face value. In addition to the division games, they have Buffalo, Detroit, Minnesota, Green Bay. Seattle and the LA Chargers can also be tough games.
Agreed.
I’d be extremely satisfied with a wildcard win
..and I think that’s their ceiling unless Rodgers absolutely lights it up , proving that the Jets are as cursed as we thought
We’ll see how the draft goes but right now (AR included) this looks between a 9-8 or 7-10 team
If the Steelers sign Rodgers, it’s clear they’ve convinced themselves they can win following one VERY specific model…
The 2015 Broncos.
HOF QB on his last legs, strong defense, a pair of great WR and a power running game.
Very good comparison. They need to draft another rb to go with Warren and Gainwell imo.
Do they really have a power running game? I admit I am have not watched every game but the ones I did see they did not run that well. I see They were upper end of the middle of the pack outside the top ten running (127/game) . But when you look at the per game the high rusher was under 75 yards 14 out of 18 games including the playoffs. am sleeping on Warren?
I said they convinced themselves. I did not say they were right.
Hard for you to say what they have convinced themselves of when you are not in the building but ok.
No, it’s not. Anyone can know that by following their actions.
They traded for DK Metcalf and gave him big money. This tells you that they think they can win now. Keeping Watt and the stars on D tells you the same. Attempting to get veteran QBs also tells you they think they can win with current roster.
So, given that they think they can win and by virtue of the fact that they are trying (through the signing of Rodgers, the trade for Metcalf, the elevation of Warren, etc.) to build a roster reminiscent of the 2015 Broncos tells you that they have convinced themselves they can win with that formula.
Are they right? I’d bet good money they are not, but…this is clearly what they are trying to do.
I think everyone’s sleeping on Warren and Gainwell but mainly because Art Smith’s system is so run heavy.
Najee put up some ok stats last season, but never fully took advantage of the system in which he should’ve thrived in.
Najee’s lack of breakaway runs was arguably the main reason for shortcomings last season.
(WRs were bad too) but wasn’t supposed to be a pass heavy offense.
And then can factor in Najee fumble against the Ravens that literally cost them the division.
Where’s the strong defense? They get toasted anytime they play a real QB.
I have a hard time putting my finger on exactly why the Steelers D folds like an accordion against top QBs
I think a lot has to do with play calling and being too predicable.
Should be very obvious now that Tomlin is a fraud as far as building and coaching a defense. (We’ll leave his other miscues out for this discussion)
Tomlin (a supposed secondary specialist) has not coached up or developed anyone in the secondary and had to get bailed out by a pricy trade for Minkah just to accomplish anything there.
The secondary evaluation and development isn’t just bad, it’s horrendous. Most of his guys fizzled out of the NFL quickly
He gets absolutely nothing extra out of anyone there.
And once again, we see them signing Darius Slay to try to bail out Tomlins lack of developing a secondary.
For all the Tomlin fans, if we can’t hold him accountable for 900 other issues, please explain to me why this guy who was brought in 12 years ago to fix the secondary shouldn’t be held responsible for having one of the least productive secondaries in the NFL, year after year?
Tomlin, Khan, AR2 they’re all the same. Living in their fears. Steelers live off of DEI candidates at this point.
Haha. Steelers aren’t winning a Super Bowl with Rodgers
Tell him to sign before he leaves the building or don’t bother coming back. He’s a 41 yr old with a qb rating of 40 last season. He’s no longer anything special.
He played well down the stretch. The issue is the Steelers have an awful O-line and Rodgers like to hold the ball and take sacks so he has no chance of throwing a pick. If the Steelers O-line can give him enough time to throw, he’s definitely worth is for one year while some QB they take in the third has time to develop. Russ has already worn out his welcome in Pittsburgh otherwise they would have re-signed him. Especially with D.K. in the fold now.
His slow roll is equal to him not being satisfied.
If he really wanted to play for the Steelers he would have signed today.
IMO today’s visit was a way to get leverage and perhaps expedite other teams improving offers or jumping into the game.
“they have yet to improve the terms of the deal to entice him to sign”.
Omar Khan: “We’re offering a 41 year old, immobile QB, an opportunity to get behind an OL that ranked 29th in pass protection last season…that should be plenty of enticement”.
Omar khans a loser
I would think Winston would be a better choice as a stop gap QB. We know he can still fling the ball 60+ yards and the Steelers have the receivers to go get the ball. The Bengals ( not comparing wide receivers) lived pretty good on the long ball during Joe’s first few years in the league. They may not win but they would be entertaining.
Please tell me you are not comparing Joe to Jameison. Yeah he can sling the ball but unfortunately he slings it to the wrong side far too many times.
Why is it people read into a comment something that was NEVER said. Sit down, read the comment, and then after you have had time to digest what was said, then make an intelligent comment. Was there any comparison of Joe Burrow and James Winston in my statement? I said, the Bengals lived pretty good on the LONG BALL in Joe’s first few years in the league. And that Jameis can still throw the ball 60+ yards consistently. There was no comparison of the two. Are you insinuating that after 45+ years of playing football and coaching I would be ignorant enough to say Jamie’s Winston’s name should be uttered in same sentence with Joe Burrow? Jameis can run and he has a cannon for an arm but in terms of football decision making, throwing with touch, and the ability to get players to play way over their skill level Joe is the king. All that was said say this. The Steelers could do worse than Jameis Winston because he would be quite entertaining with receiving corps they have. That was what I said.
I read your comment. And I read your follow up where you again essentially compare the 2. You say Burrow and the Bengals lived on the long ball and then in the very next line said Jameison can throw the ball 60+ consistently. Sorry but that’s a comparison. Maybe work on how you want to word things. I can read and comprehend regardless how off base the comment is.
If you have 45 years of coaching and playing you’d think you’d be able to adequately articulate your comment. Just a poorly worded comment
I’m ecstatic that Jameis signed with the Giants.
Agree with TJ here. Winston seems like a nice guy but if stopgap is the answer, they already have their man
I’d like to see them grab a QB in round 1 and if he fails, draft one every year until they get it right. This Groundhogs Day approach has to end sometime
Well, I do have a traumatic brain injury, not joking. But saying I was in a movie once for two minutes and Sylvester Stallone was the star is not comparing myself to Sly. It is making a statement, just like my statement that the Bengals lived on the long ball and Jameis can throw the long ball. I watched John Elway throw a 65 yards while standing on one foot, also Jim Hart for the Cardinals back in the 70s-80’s threw one that went 70 yards. Those are separate statements, not one comparing Burrow, Winston, Elway and Hart. If I had said Winston can throw 60+ yards and so can Burrow, that’s comparing. There was no mention of a defined distance for the “long ball” Burrow was throwing. Good thing I had those law classes before my first 3 concussions. And no the TBI wasn’t from football.
Sorry about your brain injury
I saw a lot of Jameis this past season. He’s grown as a man and as player. Yeah, he has a strong arm but boy, he has bad reads and worse judgment.
I know he appealed to Tomlin and wanted to play here but Tomlin seems to have been laser focused on Rodgers, alienating Wilson and Fields along the way and possibly keeping the door closed on other potential QBs
I was hoping they were working on some kind of trade behind the scenes, that this was all a smoke screen. Kyler Murray’s name was mentioned. Nope
I was hoping the DK signing offered some clue that they were clear as to who would be QB, that DK wouldn’t have signed here unless he had some sense of who was throwing the ball. Nope
It’s truly a train wreck
Aaron Rodgers? No..No…No!
Baffled by the Metcalf signing. I’m pretty sure I recall reading somewhere he was looking for a warm weather climate team with QB stability. The heck.
He’ll be kept warm with the love of Steelers fans, C Y. Cmon, now.
Yeah then a team offered him 132MM with 60MM guaranteed. The heck indeed its so confusing why he would sign such a contract i have no clue
I’m not thinking of Metcalf here Begamin, I’m thinking of the team. Why on earth would you invest that kind of cash in to a player that reportedly said he wasn’t looking to play for a cold weather team … and without QB stability? The “heck indeed it’s so confusing”.
Metcalf? Yep, I’d take that deal too!
The Steelers really needed a #1 WR, and clearly the reports about wanting to play for a warm weather team didnt effect his decision making. I think it makes sense for both parties, the Steelers havent really had an elite WR since AB, and although DK is no AB, he arguably is their most talented WR since.
What a bizzare POV. The Steelers are a football team. NFL teams need wide receivers and also have a minimum amount they have to spend every year. Who told you that you have to find a franchise QB before you sign a WR? They were wrong. You get good players whenever you can. I can’t think of a single sane reason to pass on the true #1 WR they’ve needed for years just because they don’t have a QB under contract yet. It isn’t like they’re out of money or that some QB’s can’t throw to a super big, fast and talented WR who is one of the best in the game.
What do you think the risk or potential gain of letting him go someplace else is? what do you think the chance of getting someone that good after you sign a QB is?
I don’t get it at all.
That’s the news media for you
He has come out in articles and said he never said that or anyone on his team said that.
And really, so what if he did? He can’t change his mind? So what?
I thought for sure he was the kind of player who needed assurances about who was gonna be the QB here or at least , needed clarity about things. I was wrong. Heard his initial interview where he essentially said Tomlin told him that everything would be fine and that was good enough for him.
Guess that’s called blind faith.
Talking about the warm weather issue
Found it Hawktatoo. Story here by Adam La Rose on 3/13 referencing Metcalf’s preference to warm weather team with QB cred. He mentions interest from Chargers and Houston too. That said; if you’ve seen otherwise, I’ll bite.
All said, why go here if you had interest from 2 teams with strong QB play? Another “show me the money” grab ala Miles Garrett (sp?). We’ll see.
There was just a article earlier this week him saying he didn’t say it. Local Seattle sports interview with him. You never know. I agree it is interesting. Is gotta be money
It’s hilarious that Rodgers couldn’t handle the smoke so he had his agent take the blame for “slow rolling”.
Who…….. and I cannot stress this part enough
Cares
Hopefully this “offer” is like a friendly hello to the really weird guy on the corner that convinces him you’re a good friend and turns him into a stalker.