The Pittsburgh Steelers are hot on the trail of free agent QB Aaron Rodgers, and it could be a matter of time before Rodgers signs with them. While the Steelers feel Rodgers is the best quarterback to make them competitive, anonymous NFL executives disagree. In an article by Mike Sando of The Athletic, multiple executives questioned Pittsburgh’s pursuit of Rodgers and trade for DK Metcalf.
“Rodgers with [George] Pickens and DK, if it’s not ‘Hard Knocks,’ it had better be,” an exec said. “I can’t think of a worse combination for all this to play out.”
The same exec thought that the Steelers gave up too much for Metcalf and overpaid him.
“In what world do you look at DK and go, ‘Let’s give that guy ($30 million) a year and trade a 2 for him?”
Another executive questioned the Metcalf addition and asked if we’re seeing “Pittsburgh panic”
“Any time Pittsburgh brings in a receiver, I’m tending to say, ‘OK, they have gotten it right more times than not, so they probably know something I do not know,'” the exec said. “But I question the mix. Are we seeing the first signs of Pittsburgh panic?”
There wasn’t much positivity coming Pittsburgh’s way, with multiple executives questioning the fit between Rodgers and Metcalf. Metcalf and Pickens are both expressive receivers, and Rodgers can tend to have a short fuse with his receivers at times, so it’s fair to question how it’s all going to play out if he signs with the Steelers. But Rodgers threw to Metcalf recently, and I think the reaction is a little bit overblown.
As for trading for Metcalf, the executive who thought Pittsburgh overpaid believed it was a reaction to missing out on Brandon Aiyuk last year. That very well may be the case, but the Steelers still brought in a legitimate No. 1 weapon and while the base value of the contract jumps out, there’s no guaranteed money beyond Year 2 (which is still a big deal for the way the Steelers do business). Metcalf is still one of the league’s best receivers, and with a rising salary cap and an inflated wide receiver market, his contract is going to look a lot more reasonable in even a year’s time.
The Steelers also had to compete with multiple offers and even Metcalf’s own reported preference to go to Houston or Los Angeles, so they had to put their best foot forward.
I think Rodgers’ best football is behind him, but I still think he can help the Steelers win, and I don’t really understand the universally negative reaction from the executives quoted. It no doubt would be a risk for the Steelers bringing in Aaron Rodgers, but beyond that, the offense is a lot better right now with Metcalf. I could understand harping on the Steelers for their lack of a quarterback plan, which is what’s led them to this point, but I don’t think the mix of Rodgers, Pickens and Metcalf, if it happens, is going to be as bad as they’re projecting.
