Insider Pitches Steelers, Aaron Rodgers Move

The Pittsburgh Steelers may represent a perfect destination for Aaron Rodgers in the offseason.

Dec 22, 2024; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) drops back to pass against the Los Angeles Rams during the fourth quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

As Russell Wilson's struggles persist amidst a three-game losing streak for the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team faces growing uncertainty as to who will enter the 2025 season as their starting quarterback.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio believes he has unearthed a solution, however, stating that the Steelers should target Aaron Rodgers and finally pair him with head coach Mike Tomlin as the former's career nears its conclusion.

"When we try to come up with the list of teams that we know will be looking for quarterbacks in the offseason, it's a short list, but I think we've gotta start moving the Steelers into that category as a strong possibility. The thought that I had the other day, I'm gonna say it. We've seen them make googly eyes at each other during games before, and he's been playing well the last couple of weeks.

"Oh, Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tomlin, one last ride together."

Rodgers has endured quite a few ups and downs in his brief tenure with the New York Jets thus far. After arriving via trade from the Green Bay Packers in April 2023, he tore his Achilles just four plays into the season opener against the Buffalo Bills and missed the remainder of the season.

This year, at 41-years-old, he's overseen a New York squad that entered the year with playoff aspirations go 4-11 entering Week 17. The team fired both its head coach and general manager in Robert Salah and Joe Douglas, respectively, over the past few months while ownership has also come under fire.

Through it all, Rodgers has thrown for 3,511 yards, 24 touchdowns and eight interceptions while only improving as the campaign has gone along. It helps to have the likes of Davante Adams, Garrett Wilson and Breece Hall alongside him, but the four-time AP NFL MVP still has something left in the tank.

Rodgers has one year remaining on his contract, but it feels increasingly likely that the Jets will let go of him after the current season ends. Assuming he plans on playing in 2025, the team would incur $49 million in dead money by doing so as opposed to $63 million if he were to stay on the roster for another ride with Gang Green.

A release is more feasible than a trade for Rodgers, and it's fair to say that Pittsburgh would represent one of the more attractive destinations for him as a free agent given the team's status as perpetual contenders with a roster that's geared to win now.

There's some obvious concerns about a decline in performance given Rodgers' age, but he and Tomlin seem to have a great deal of mutual respect for one another, and there's no guarantee that a better option would come available for Pittsburgh should it opt not to retain Wilson or even Justin Fields as its No. 1 quarterback next year.

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