With the NFL draft less than a week away, it doesn’t seem like Aaron Rodgers is close to making a decision. That might mean the Pittsburgh Steelers need to go in a different direction under center. They can only wait for so long, and it sounds like Rodgers isn’t sure when, or if, he’ll return to football. Kirk Cousins could be a target for the Steelers if they pivot away from Rodgers. However, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero revealed Friday that a deal for Cousins could be complicated.
“I would not anticipate that Kirk Cousins would waive his no-trade clause to go anywhere until Friday, probably Saturday, of draft week, just to avoid a similar situation that he had a year ago,” Pelissero said on The Rich Eisen Show. “From talking to a number of different people, I don’t get the sense that the Falcons are displaying any level of urgency about making a move.
“They’re not intentionally, deliberately making many types of calls trying to shop Kirk Cousins. They’re not pushing forward and saying, ‘Hey, you know what? We will eat a lot of the money here.’ To this point, they’ve wanted a new team to pick up a good chunk of that $27.5 million dollars that Cousins is fully guaranteed this season, on top of the $10 million guarantee in 2026 that’s subject to offsets and give up a mid-round pick.”
Cousins’ massive deal might be the biggest obstacle in the way of the Steelers trading for him. They likely don’t want to invest that much time or money in him. He’s not the same player he once was.
Last year, coming off an Achilles injury, Cousins started 14 games. He threw for 3,508 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 16 interceptions, an ugly stat line. Giving up a mid-round pick for him might be too much. Add his price tag, and it doesn’t feel like trading for Cousins is a good idea for the Steelers.
However, if the Falcons’ asking price comes down, maybe the Steelers could be more interested. Although he isn’t the same player, Cousins could still be better than the other quarterbacks available.
The other issue could be if the Steelers draft a quarterback in the first round. According to Pelissero, Cousins would likely balk at going to a team that takes a signal caller in Round 1. The Falcons did that last year, and it seemed to frustrate Cousins. It sounds like he wants to be a starting quarterback somewhere. Maybe he wouldn’t waive his new no-trade clause if the Steelers draft a quarterback.
Whatever happens, it doesn’t sound like a Cousins trade is coming anytime soon. The Steelers might have to wait for the Falcons’ asking price to come down. That could leave them in a similar situation that they’re in with Rodgers now. There have been reports that the Steelers aren’t very interested in Cousins, either. Pittsburgh could be better off sticking with Mason Rudolph or drafting a quarterback high.
