The Pittsburgh Steelers still find themselves without an answer at quarterback for 2025, and while the team waits on the decision from QB Aaron Rodgers, last year’s starter, QB Russell Wilson, is taking meetings with the Cleveland Browns and New York Giants. Wilson was expected to be the team’s backup plan if Rodgers signed elsewhere, but Wilson isn’t waiting around, and Emmanuel Acho thinks that the Steelers and Mike Tomlin could get caught “red-handed” if Rodgers signs elsewhere.
“What I’m suggesting is Russell Wilson goes and signs with the [Browns], and now if Kirk Cousins all of a sudden goes and signs with whoever they may sign with, now all of a sudden, Tomlin, you’re caught red-handed. You clearly don’t want Shedeur [Sanders] that bad and you clearly don’t want Cam Ward that bad. So now what I’m suggesting is, Tomlin, you might be stuck looking around because you were waiting on Rodgers,” Acho said Thursday on The Facility on FS1.
Acho said he talked to Wilson at the Super Bowl who affirmed he wanted to stay in Pittsburgh, but the Steelers have made it clear that Wilson is a backup option. Acho thinks the Steelers are close to “ruining things” by waiting on Rodgers.
“I think the Steelers are walking a fine line of ruining things right now,” he said. “They have shown Russell Wilson, we don’t want you.”
While Wilson’s tenure in Pittsburgh started strong — he went 6-1 in his first seven starts — the offense took a nosedive down the stretch and the Steelers lost their last five games, including their playoff game. Wilson was brought in to try and get the Steelers over the hump and win in the postseason, and after he failed to do so, the Steelers looked at other options. When Justin Fields, who started Pittsburgh’s first six games last season while Wilson rehabbed from a calf injury, hit free agency, the Steelers prioritized other veterans, particularly Rodgers, over a reunion with Wilson.
With the Giants and Minnesota Vikings reportedly having interest in Rodgers, there’s no guarantee he winds up in Pittsburgh. And with the quarterback market thinning, the Steelers could find themselves in a bad situation if they don’t end up signing Rodgers. The team has to decide in the next few days if waiting on Rodgers is really worth it or if it should explore turning back to Wilson, who could very well wind up signing with the Browns or even the Giants during his meetings with them. Losing Wilson to a division rival and not having a better backup plan would be a disaster, and it really feels like the Steelers’ success in 2025 could hinge on Rodgers’ decision.
If he comes to Pittsburgh, the Steelers will have a quarterback they feel gives them a better chance to win than Wilson. But if he doesn’t, then the most important position in football might be filled by someone who isn’t up to par to start in the league. The Steelers likely don’t have the draft capital to make a move to get a quarterback like Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, whom Acho said the team doesn’t want, but he’s right that they’ll be in a very precarious situation if Rodgers doesn’t sign. It could leave them standing at the altar with no ring on their finger.
