The Pittsburgh Steelers are facing a major dilemma. They can either wait to see what Aaron Rodgers decides in free agency—many believe he'll ultimately land in Pittsburgh—or start looking elsewhere for a quarterback. As of now, the Steelers have three QBs on the roster, but none bring significant experience to the table.
Everything hinges on Rodgers and what he chooses to do. The Steelers remain confident that he will end up in Pittsburgh when all is said and done. However, a decision isn't expected for at least another week to a week and a half.
“If you’re Rodgers, don’t you just at this point wait until after the schedule is out?” Mike Florio said. “Because it’s not like the Steelers are gonna get fewer primetime games than what they’d otherwise get.”
A potential trade partner for the Steelers could be the Atlanta Falcons, who are reportedly seeking a landing spot for Kirk Cousins. NFL insider Albert Breer believes that option is very much on the table if the Rodgers plan falls through.
“The Steelers have signaled, and even publicly expressed, their confidence that Rodgers will wind up on their roster. And if he doesn’t, I’d imagine they’d explore a trade for Kirk Cousins. It’d be pretty surprising if they opened training camp with Mason Rudolph,” Breer wrote.
However, trade options for Cousins are dwindling. If the Steelers sign Rodgers, a trade becomes unlikely unless an injury occurs elsewhere.
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“Realistically, at this point, it seems like the two possible exit doors for Cousins open if the Steelers don’t land Rodgers or another quarterback gets hurt somewhere,” Breer noted. “But even if there’s an injury, it’d have to happen before the trade deadline. And there’s a chance that Cousins wouldn’t want to uproot his family—and could thus block a trade if he doesn’t like the destination.”
If Rodgers doesn’t sign, acquiring Cousins may be a necessary move for a team clearly in need of veteran leadership—despite the hefty contract the Steelers would have to take on.