Although he may not have had much by way of realistic landing spots in 2025, new Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers still had to think highly enough of the situation in Pittsburgh to join the team and put off retirement for one more year. Having previously cited head coach Mike Tomlin as a factor in his decision, Rodgers also pointed to another new Steeler, trade acquisition D.K. Metcalf.
[RELATED: Rodgers Expects To Retire After 2025 Season]
Rodgers, 41, said Metcalf is a “big part of the reason” he joined the Steelers (via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor). He went on to say Metcalf is “a really solid human being.”
The Steelers’ decision to trade former WR1 George Pickens after acquiring and extending Metcalf is in keeping with their modus operandi, as Pickens is entering his walk year and Pittsburgh does not make a habit of rostering two wideouts on top-dollar deals. That said, the club was also wary of pairing Pickens and his history of maturity issues with the notoriously prickly Rodgers, a concern that may have helped grease the trade wheels.
By contrast, the throwing sessions that Rodgers and Metcalf had this offseason – before Rodgers officially joined the team – apparently helped sell the future Hall of Fame signal-caller on his new top target. That said, losing a talent like Pickens is a big blow to Pittsburgh’s offense, so the team is still reportedly seeking a veteran wideout despite having added Robert Woods in late April.
Pro Bowl stalwarts like Keenan Allen and Amari Cooper remain on the market and thus have been connected to Pittsburgh, at least speculatively. While finances are likely not a major factor in the Steelers’ calculus at this point since they have roughly $19MM in cap room, a less expensive option like Tyler Boyd may also make sense.
Boyd, 30, spent the first eight years of his career as a key part of the Bengals’ passing attack and topped 1,000 receiving yards in the 2018 and 2019 seasons. Even in his last season in Cincinnati in 2023, Boyd saw 98 targets. However, the team’s decision to use the franchise tag on Tee Higgins and the specter of a record-setting extension for Ja’Marr Chase led Boyd out of the Queen City last offseason.
The Pittsburgh native and University of Pittsburgh product was interested in joining his hometown Steelers in 2024, and the interest was reportedly mutual. But the parties could not find common ground on contract terms, so Boyd ultimately inked a one-year deal with the Titans.
As Tennessee slogged through a forgettable year with second-year passer Will Levis and veteran Mason Rudolph (now back with Pittsburgh) at the controls, Boyd put up an underwhelming stat line. Excluding the 2017 campaign, in which he appeared in just 10 games, Boyd tied or set career lows with 57 targets, 39 catches, 390 receiving yards, and a 10.0 yards-per-catch rate. He also failed to find the endzone for the first time in his career.
Of course, he had done much better with different quarterback situations, and he represents an intriguing buy-low candidate for teams in need of receiving help. For the second year in a row, he is hoping to head home to western Pennsylvania.
At this youth camp on Saturday, Boyd was asked by Pittsburgh Sports Now if he would like to sign with the Steelers.
“Absolutely,” he said (via Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports; h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “You know, all my family is here. I’d be able to have the majority of them be able to support me.”
Like many players, Boyd has a fondness for Tomlin.
“I’m real cool with Tomlin,” he added. “He’s always been a good person. … When I was at Pitt, we had a good relationship. After practice, I’d walk over there, talk to [Antonio Brown] and those guys, talk to Tomlin, and he’d just pick at different things, where I could get better and get some guidance. I think we had a great friendship.”
There have been no public reports of interest in Boyd’s services in 2025. It remains to be seen if the Steelers will reciprocate his interest this time around.
I’m pretty sure Pittsburgh being the only team without a plan at starting quarterback was also a key reason for Rodgers signing with them.
Lol you beat me to it.
The Steelers should absolutely sign Boyd. They need a reliable #2, and as this piece states he’ll likely come cheap due to last year’s fluke down year.
Boyd only got mentioned because he played college ball at Pittsburgh. He’d be lucky to land third on the WR depth chart. If the Steelers are really desperate to get a former Pitt Panther they should try to convince Larry Fitzgerald to come out of retirement.
You’re really disrespecting Boyd with this take. He was arguably Cincy’s most important WR before Chase, and he was still a legit #1 or #2 playing as a #3 there for years.
That was 5 years ago brother
Considering DK is built like a bricks hithouse, I’d be buttering up as much as I could.
Need to change headline….AR gives main reason for joining steelers…they were only team going to sign me
Tell that to the Giants, who offered him a better deal.
Like him or not, Aaron Rodgers comes up so many times on PFR for the slightest reasons, it’s not funny anymore