As the free agent quarterback market continues to be at a standstill with Aaron Rodgers in the driver’s seat, it begs the question — what’s causing the holdup?
Most reporting seems to be pointing towards Rodgers choosing between either the Pittsburgh Steelers or the New York Giants. If those are the only two options, then the choice seems pretty clear. Why choose the Giants, who have nine wins in the last two seasons combined, when you could play for the Steelers, who had more than that just last year alone?
According to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, money likely has something to do with it.
“The problem for Rodgers is that it was widely believed he’d take a low-end deal with the Rams if Matthew Stafford had left,” Florio wrote. “Regardless of whether Rodgers would have been a bargain if he’d been able to play in Southern California, the Steelers have a clear need. But they seem to be hoping to go cheap at the quarterback position like they were able to do a year ago when they paid Wilson, Justin Fields, and Kyle Allen — combined — less than what Mason Rudolph got in Tennessee.”
Last night, Florio gave a “semi-educated guess” on Rodgers’ real market value right now. He threw out a possible two-year, $90 million deal for Rodgers. An APY of $45 million would place him tied with Kirk Cousins and Patrick Mahomes for the 12th highest-paid quarterback in the league.
If Cousins was able to get that much coming off an Achilles last year (under a smaller salary cap), then Rodgers and his agent have every right to push for something similar, especially with decent stats over the final several games of the 2024 season.
“The cap keeps going up. The cash keeps going up. The market keeps going up,” Florio said. “There’s a big, but fair, number that works for both sides if they truly want to partner up. If they can’t agree on money, maybe they truly don’t.”
Yeah, you could argue that Rodgers might prefer to stay in New York since he bought a house over there when he was playing for the Jets. Or you could potentially argue that their offense is a little more pass-oriented, while the Steelers prefer to run the football. But the Steelers just traded for DK Metcalf and now have one of the most intriguing WR corps in the league.
If Rodgers is looking to end his career with a chance to compete in the playoffs, then it seems like a no-brainer. That would strongly suggest that money might be a part of the holdup, as Florio suggests.
The Steelers reportedly had an offer in on Justin Fields, but the Jets were able to put forth a stronger deal. Rodgers will be more expensive than Fields, but they already likely showed with Fields that they aren’t willing to overpay.
Rodgers is 41 years old and managed just five wins last year. On the other hand, the Steelers are basically out of options unless they want to try to come crawling back to Wilson, who seems to be, at best, the Steelers’ third option.
