At least on the surface, the Pittsburgh Steelers remain calm and collected under pressure as their entire offseason could ride on the decision of veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
ESPN NFL insiders Jeremy Fowler and Louis Riddick echoed that sentiment on March 29 while providing an update on Rodgers and the Steelers on “SportsCenter.”
“[The Steelers are] willing to be pretty patient,” Fowler began, after being asked about their pursuit of Rodgers. “My sense is the Steelers remain optimistic here, and they are willing to wait.”
“In fact, I’ve talked to several people in the quarterback market including in and around Russell Wilson’s free agency who just figured that the Steelers must’ve gotten some sort of loose assurance from Rodgers at some point that he was going to play there,” Fowler explained, reiterating that “it feels like right now [Rodgers’] options are Steelers, retirement, or does he want to just wait three or four months on the [Minnesota] Vikings to see if they change their mind.”
The other reason they’re so willing to wait, per Riddick, is that their current focus is on the 2025 NFL Draft and this incoming quarterback class.
“I think Pittsburgh, regardless, they have to be doing their homework on the draft eligible quarterbacks and looking at who they possibly could bring into the fold as a long-term solution,” Riddick voiced on Saturday morning.
Continuing: “So, I think there’s two things that Pittsburgh is dealing with. One, do we put a timeline on Aaron Rodgers?… And two, does it really matter because right now all of our efforts are really focused in on making sure our draft board is straight.”
Riddick then discussed potentially moving up for a QB prospect like Shedeur Sanders or trading back for someone like Tyler Shough and additional draft capital.
“I think that’s where their focus is right now,” he concluded, stating that he understands their patience if Pittsburgh is resigned to draft a quarterback either way.
Steelers Losing Aaron Rodgers to Vikings ‘Seems Unlikely,’ per NFL Insider Jeremy Fowler
Within the update above, Fowler added that Rodgers to the Vikings “seems unlikely at this point” despite their general manager’s comments this week.
In the same breath, he noted that Pittsburgh appears to be “all-in” on Rodgers, which is more of a confirmation than actual news.
Minnesota has been wishy-washy in their pursuit of Rodgers, backing 2024 first rounder J.J. McCarthy and his continued development. On the flip side, it’s been pretty obvious that the Steelers want the future Hall of Fame signal-caller for some time now.
Steelers Have Been Scouting & Meeting With Several QB Prospects Ahead of NFL Draft
The Steelers’ recent actions seem to agree with Fowler’s update and Riddick’s theory.
The organization took Alabama dual threat QB Jalen Milroe out to dinner, met with Texas passer Quinn Ewers and have scheduled a top 30 visit with Ole Miss draft riser Jaxson Dart.
Add in the aforementioned rumored interest in Sanders and Shough and no one can say Pittsburgh has not done their due diligence on this quarterback class despite their pursuit of Rodgers.
As a reminder, they also reunited with veteran QB Mason Rudolph — which appears to have excited a large contingent of the fanbase and the Steelers locker room. So, although they’re “all-in” on Rodgers, they do seem to have contingency plans in place.
