The Pittsburgh Steelers have a decision to make at quarterback, and with New York Jets QB Aaron Rodgers likely available this offseason and the Steelers having a hole at the position, it’s easy to link Pittsburgh to Rodgers. While Steelers S DeShon Elliott wouldn’t be a fan of the move and Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that the Steelers won’t have interest, the thought of Pittsburgh acquiring Rodgers is still being bantered about by the media. On ESPN’s First Take today, Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo said that the Steelers should acquire Rodgers in a package along with WR Davante Adams to fill two needs in one swoop.
“They fell apart late in the year. [Russell] Wilson didn’t play well, [Justin] Fields isn’t the answer,” Russo said. “You might get Davante Adams in a package deal if you bring Rodgers in, so there’s your other receiver. I’ll tell you right now, if you told me I’m a Steelers fan and I can have Rodgers and Adams over Fields and Wilson, I’d do that because I think I’d be a better team.”
The Adams-Rodgers combo had a lot of success in Green Bay, but it didn’t work in New York. While Adams had a solid season after getting to New York, catching 67 passes for 854 yards and seven touchdowns in 11 games, the Jets won just three games after acquiring Adams ahead of Week 7. Even with Garrett Wilson also at wide receiver, Rodgers just didn’t have a good season, and at 41 years old, it’s a genuine question whether he would be an upgrade.
Rodgers and Adams have history together, but it’s not a guarantee the two will team up next season. The Steelers should look into adding Adams as a free agent if he does get cut by New York, and the likely path forward is the Jets releasing both Rodgers and Adams, so the Steelers shouldn’t give up draft capital or take on their contracts via a trade package, as Russo suggests. For that to be the case, New York would need to eat a significant amount of money, and the Steelers likely would balk at giving much up to acquire them.
The more realistic path forward is for the Steelers to pursue Davante Adams as a free agent if he becomes available. Given that the locker room doesn’t seem to like the idea of a Rodgers signing and that he comes with baggage in the form of constant media attention that would be a distraction to Pittsburgh, it doesn’t seem like a fit or all that likely that Rodgers will be a Steeler in 2025. Adams would certainly be an upgrade to the wide receiver room if the Steelers can acquire him, but they shouldn’t need to take on Rodgers to do so.
