We are now 16 days removed from the start of the new NFL year, and Aaron Rodgers still hasn’t made a decision, in terms of signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers or heading off into retirement.
Though the Steelers appear comfortable waiting on Rodgers and giving him all the time he needs, there is a world in which he ultimately tells the team no. If that happens, what do the Steelers under GM Omar Khan and assistant GM Andy Weidl do?
“Draft somebody and also probably sign somebody. See, here’s the thing, people are like, how long can they wait? If Rodgers tells ’em no, then they go to what, like Joe Flacco or Carson Wentz? Those are probably the top two free agents still out there, right? So, if they lose Carson Wentz while they’re waiting around for Aaron Rodgers, that’s not gonna make or break their season,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano said Friday on Unsportsmanlike, according to audio via ESPN Radio. “So I think they go to whatever the veteran option is that’s out there, and if they don’t think any of ’em are better than Mason Rudolph, who they already brought back, then they don’t have to do it.
“But I do think the Steelers will address that position in draft and they’ll try to do it fairly early because they know they have to get this figured out for the long term. Even if they sign Aaron Rodgers, he’s 41 years old, he’s not the long-term solution for them or anybody else. So, I think the Steelers probably look at a quarterback in the draft relatively early on.”
Flacco is a name that has been thrown out there for the Steelers this offseason as they wait on a decision from Rodgers. There’s plenty of familiarity with Flacco due to his time in the AFC North with the Baltimore Ravens and the Cleveland Browns. Plus, the Steelers just saw Flacco last season in Week 4 against Indianapolis, when he led the Colts to an upset win over the Steelers after coming off the bench for the injured Anthony Richardson.
Flacco started six games for the Colts in 2024 and threw for 1,761 yards and 12 touchdowns with seven interceptions. That came one year after he was a revelation for the Browns, signing late in the season and going 4-1 down the stretch, leading Cleveland to the playoffs.
Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer previously reported that there were some in the organization who preferred signing Flacco over Russell Wilson if they missed out on Rodgers, so the potential to turn to the 40-year-old Flacco is still there, should Rodgers not sign in Pittsburgh.
Carson Wentz is rather interesting due to Weidl, who was in Philadelphia when the Eagles traded up to land Wentz at No. 2 overall in the 2016 NFL Draft. At the time, Weidl was the Eagles’ assistant director of player personnel.
Wentz had a meteoric rise in five seasons with the Eagles, winning a Super Bowl in 2018, though he tore his ACL late that season and watched backup Nick Foles beat Tom Brady and the Patriots.
The Eagles moved on from Wentz after the 2020 season, trading him to Indianapolis, where he was a disaster in one season. Since then he’s bounced around the league, spending time with the Washington Commanders, Los Angeles Rams and Kansas City Chiefs.
Last season with the Chiefs, Wentz started the Week 18 finale and completed 12-of-19 passes for 118 yards in a 38-0 loss to the Denver Broncos. He was sacked four times.
Neither of those two names moves the needle, but they’d be decent bridge quarterback options for the Steelers, should they choose to do that. Of course, Mason Rudolph is already in place, and they might not feel the need to make that move. But the options are there, at least.
But as Graziano stated, the Steelers are likely going to address the position in the 2025 NFL Draft. They’ve spent considerable time scouting the position, spending time with the likes of Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Ohio State’s Will Howard, Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart and Texas’ Quinn Ewers.
The interest there is real. The only real question is in what round do the Steelers address the position, and with who.
