Analyst Danny Parkins assumes that the Pittsburgh Steelers will make some sort of move before the start of the regular season. He’s not alone in that. We’ve already seen the Steelers bring in WR Gabe Davis for a visit this offseason. And rumors have swirled, connecting them to multiple tight ends. The Steelers want to add a weapon for new QB Aaron Rodgers.
Pittsburgh has been consistent on that front all offseason. They did not want to repeat 2024, where they lacked a bona fide threat opposite WR George Pickens. We thought they had solved that problem when they traded for WR DK Metcalf. But then they traded Pickens away. So, they’re back to a similar spot as they were to start the offseason. They still want another quality option alongside their top wide receiver.
But it’s not just that the Steelers want to or should make a move. Parkins thinks they have to.
“If I’m doing a one-year thing with Aaron Rodgers, that’s what you go all-in for,” Parkins said Friday on First Things First. “I’m not saying you trade a future first-round pick for a guy, ’cause you need ammo to move up for your next quarterback next year. But why go halfway with this? Why do a half-measure?”
It would be the ultimate move to proclaim that the standard is now simply contending for a playoff berth, not to make serious efforts to add another offensive weapon. That doesn’t mean the Steelers will successfully pull off a move. In the NFL, like in many places, it takes (at least) two to tango. The Steelers can seriously want to add another player. But if that player doesn’t want to come to Pittsburgh, or the asking price in a trade is insane, the move doesn’t happen.
The Steelers are trying to walk a very fine line here by signing Aaron Rodgers. They want to win a playoff game and believe that he’s their best chance. But they don’t want to mortgage their future, either. They need a long-term answer at the quarterback position. So while they want to bolster their offense around Rodgers, they can’t go all-in with all their assets.
We all would love to see a quality WR2 in Pittsburgh, and Parkins agrees. He also mentioned adding an offensive lineman. He’s concerned about the youth of the line and especially OT Broderick Jones. But the overarching point is that the Steelers shouldn’t sign a “one-year mercenary deal with the Devil,” as Parkins called it, and not give Rodgers the best supporting cast they can.
You don’t make an uncharacteristic move like signing Aaron Rodgers if you aren’t going to do everything you can to make it work. Parkins previously called the Rodgers deal a steal, and he believes that Rodgers had a reason beyond not needing the money himself.
“I think he did it in case a team wants to shed a salary because they think they’re gonna be bad, and give up a fifth-round pick, and you take someone on,” Parkins said.
Cap flexibility is never overrated. That’s the way the Steelers can go all-in with Aaron Rodgers without mortgaging a high future pick. They could swoop in and grab a good player from a team that decides it’s time to rebuild. Or simply be able to pay a free-agent wide receiver enough to make them want to come to Pittsburgh.
The question is, will they be able to find a dance partner?
