During his first few games with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Russell Wilson felt like a breath of fresh air. It finally felt like the Steelers had a consistent contributor at quarterback. However, the past few weeks have muddied the waters with Wilson. His play has regressed, Wilson plagued by turnovers. Even with George Pickens back Wednesday against the Kansas City Chiefs, Wilson still wasn’t good enough. Because of that, analyst Mike Florio believes the Steelers should look into acquiring Aaron Rodgers after this season.
“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,” Florio said Thursday on Pro Football Talk. “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 past few weeks.
“Oh, Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tomlin, one ride together next year.”
That’s certainly a bold take. Rodgers is one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, but this year, he has shown his age. At 41 years old and coming off a torn Achilles, Rodgers had had a disappointing 2024 season with the New York Jets. That doesn’t seem like a move that would elevate the Steelers to championship contenders.
However, Florio is correct that Rodgers has turned back the clock over the last few weeks. While Wilson has been on the decline, Rodgers seems to be on the rise. There’s an argument to make that he’s getting back to form after that devastating injury last season.
Florio is also right that Tomlin and Rodgers have flirted during their matchups in recent years. Even this season, the two shared a moment that seemed to imply mutual respect. Rodgers has always spoken highly of Tomlin as well.
“Oh, Aaron Rodgers. Another one-year arrangement,” Florio said. “Until they find their franchise guy, let’s go get the best guy that we can for the lowest amount of money we can and make the best of it.”
It isn’t crazy to suggest that Rodgers could join the Steelers. However, there are also a lot of factors working against this union actually happening.
For starters, Rodgers is under contract with the Jets in 2025. They could cut him, but if they don’t, the Steelers’ only other option would be to trade for Rodgers. Beyond that, Rodgers feels more like lateral move at best compared to Wilson. If the issue with Wilson is that his age has caught up to him and he isn’t the same player, then Rodgers, who is five years older than Wilson, won’t solve that problem.
It is true that Rodgers has been a better player than Wilson, but this feels like a move that would produce results similar to this year. It’s tough to say that Rodgers is the missing piece for the Steelers. And this is all speculation at this point. Unless the Jets want to part ways with Rodgers, he isn’t going anywhere. Once the season is over, there will be more clarity on the direction in which the Steelers are going.
