On Monday, two major dominoes fell to start the league’s quarterback carousel. Sam Darnold agreed to sign with the Seattle Seahawks, and Justin Fields agreed to sign with the New York Jets. Two teams that needed a quarterback each got one. The Pittsburgh Steelers are still in need of one but left out at the moment. With that in mind, ESPN’s Dan Orlovsky thinks the Steelers need to be reaching out to Aaron Rodgers immediately.
“If you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers, you should be on the phone with Aaron [Rodgers] right now, and Aaron should not get off the phone,” Orlovsky said Monday on SportsCenter. “You just traded a third-round pick and gave DK Metcalf $150 million. You have to maximize that player. And the best way to do that is with Aaron Rodgers. If you’re the Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers, two historic franchises, you’re bidding against each other for Aaron Rodgers right now.”
On Monday it was reported that the Steelers had made an offer to Fields but that he hadn’t responded. It’s become clear over the past week that Fields wanted to test the open market to see what he might be worth. After reportedly agreeing to a two-year, $40 million with the Jets, it’s hard to blame him.
Now, time is of the essence for the Steelers. Most expected them to address the quarterback position before adding to the receiver room. Instead, they made the decision to bring in Metcalf without a QB in place. With Fields and Darnold now off the market, their options are dwindling.
Aside from Rodgers, Russell Wilson is the next best viable option. Wilson has expressed his desire to return to Pittsburgh several times offseason. The rumor mill regarding him and the Steelers has seemed to dry up recently, but at this point he must be considered.
The Steelers aren’t the only team that still need to address the position, either. The Giants, Minnesota Vikings and Indianapolis Colts are just a few of the teams that could compete with the Steelers for Rodgers. Orlovsky thinks the Steelers need to act fast, and he’s right. As the dominoes keep falling, the Steelers don’t want to be left out. Especially after trading for a receiver as talented as Metcalf.
