PITTSBURGH — It’s been 44 days since the NFL’s free-agent negotiating window opened …
Forty-two days since the New York Jets released Aaron Rodgers, officially making the four-time MVP a free agent …
Thirty-three days since Rodgers visited Pittsburgh (covertly, in a rented Chevy Malibu) to meet with the Steelers’ top brass …
Twenty-nine days since Russell Wilson signed with the New York Giants, removing one of the few remaining veteran alternatives …
About 25 days since Rodgers threw with offseason addition DK Metcalf in California …
Twenty-two days since Steelers president and owner Art Rooney II said he expected an answer from Rodgers “soon”…
… And six days since Rodgers appeared on “The Pat McAfee Show,” voicing his frustrations about how the Jets handled the breakup, explaining that “personal” issues have taken his attention away from football and saying he’s “open to anything and attached to nothing.”
And here we are. With Phase 1 of voluntary offseason training beginning at the Steelers’ practice facility this week and the NFL Draft looming over 24 hours away, Pittsburgh still doesn’t have Rodgers’ signature on a dotted line.
“We go to camp with four quarterbacks. Right now, we have two on the roster,” Steelers general manager Omar Khan said Tuesday, referencing Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. “All options are on the table in how we acquire those last two.”
Three weeks ago at the NFL’s annual league meeting, Tomlin called the spring a time for “teaching and learning” and said there was no deadline for Rodgers, nor was there any timeline. However, Tomlin did appear to at least put some guardrails on a decision when he described training camp as a “line of demarcation.”
Asked Tuesday to clarify whether that means he’s willing to let the uncertainty linger until the Steelers report to Latrobe, Tomlin walked back his answer and said he was speaking more generally about team development and not one specific player or situation. As a follow-up, Tomlin was asked more directly if he would feel comfortable letting the indecision continue, possibly through OTAs, which are scheduled to start on May 27.
“I hadn’t pondered those things, to be quite honest with you,” Tomlin said.
In the next days or weeks, the Steelers’ actions might give us a more definitive answer about where this team is headed at the most important position in football.
The truth is, over the last four to six weeks, the Steelers haven’t had many cards to play after numerous quarterbacks found homes elsewhere. During the draft and shortly after, another wave of options will be unlocked.
When the Steelers draft a quarterback (if at all) and how much interest they show in possible trade candidates could tell us whether Khan and Tomlin are content to let the process play out with Rodgers until training camp, and how much faith they have in Rudolph as a backup plan.
Let’s focus first on the draft. In a class that’s considered underwhelming at quarterback, the top-rated passer, Miami’s Cam Ward, appears destined to be picked first by the Tennessee Titans. Trying to project when or where the next two quarterbacks — likely Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart — will be drafted is more challenging.
Potentially QB-needy teams include the Cleveland Browns (No. 2 pick), New York Giants (No. 3) and New Orleans Saints (No. 9). If the Saints pass and Sanders is still available, that’s when things could get interesting in the Steelers’ draft room, because there’s not an obvious landing spot for a QB before Pittsburgh is on the clock at No. 21.
The Steelers have done extensive homework on numerous quarterbacks who should be available in different rounds. That included hosting Sanders, Dart, Louisville’s Tyler Shough and Syracuse’s Kyle McCord for pre-draft visits. (They also attended pro days for Ohio State’s Will Howard, Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, Texas’ Quinn Ewers and Notre Dame’s Riley Leonard.)
Tomlin said he’s known Deion Sanders, Shedeur’s father, for a long time, but the Colorado QB’s pre-draft visit was Tomlin’s first opportunity to meet Shedeur. The coach called it a “very productive” meeting.
“I think the things that stood out were evident in his video,” Tomlin said. “There’s a toughness there. It doesn’t get talked about enough. There’s a competitive spirit there that doesn’t get talked about enough. I know he’s very talented and made a lot of plays for his university and his team. But the intangible qualities displayed on tape were impressive to me.”
Now, just because a team needs a starting quarterback doesn’t mean the future of the franchise will be available, even in Round 1. The Steelers found out the hard way in 2022 when they drafted the top-rated QB (Kenny Pickett) and traded him just two years later, a mistake that has contributed to their current situation.
Similarly, the decision surrounding Sanders is complicated because opinions are so mixed. On one hand, the QB’s football IQ, feel for the game and ability to read defenses reflect someone who’s grown up with a Hall of Famer as a father and was mentored by Tom Brady. On the other hand, Sanders’ mobility and arm strength aren’t necessarily first-round caliber.
For months, it appeared most likely the Steelers would draft a defensive tackle or running back with their first pick. That still might be most likely. Time will tell whether Sanders will be there at 21. If he is, they’ll have to decide whether they believe in his strengths or if they’d rather go a different direction, while waiting to make a more aggressive play for a QB in 2026 or later.
For what it’s worth, Khan did bring up the possibility of a trade back. But it’s important to note that the comment was unprompted and unrelated to the discussion about Sanders or other QBs. Khan and Tomlin were not asked about other QB prospects specifically.
“I don’t know how realistic it is that we move up,” the GM said. “But you never know. Moving back is probably a better or bigger option for us.”
“The way I look at it is you never really want to trade away from a really good player that can help you,” Khan continued. “By the time we get to Thursday, we’ll identify certain guys that we will not trade away from.”
Tomlin said Tuesday that Rodgers’ situation won’t impact the Steelers’ draft strategy. That makes sense, considering Rodgers would likely sign a one-year, $10 million deal, as he referenced earlier this week. If the Steelers feel a legitimate, first-round QB is on the table, their pursuit of Rodgers should not prevent them from taking the plunge — they actually could see some value in a rookie learning behind the veteran.
But on the flip side, Tomlin acknowledged that the outcome of the draft might have at least some effect on the pursuit of Rodgers.
“I think what you do in a draft oftentimes affects maybe some talent acquisition that happens after,” Tomlin said. “We’ll see how the acquisition goes this weekend.”
The other variable is that at least a couple of quarterbacks could be available via trade around the draft or shortly after. While none of the known candidates would qualify as anything close to a slam dunk, the Steelers might at least have options to entertain and decisions to make.
Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has a no-trade clause and won’t waive it at least until after the draft because he doesn’t want to be in the same situation as last year, when he signed a handsome four-year deal only for Atlanta to draft a quarterback in the first round. With the draft approaching, the time for a trade could be near.
Cousins’ 2024 season should give any inquiring team at least some pause. After starting 6-3 with 17 touchdown passes (fourth-most at the time) and a 0.15 EPA/dropback (seventh-best), Cousin saw his season — and maybe his career — come undone. Over the subsequent six games, Cousins threw nine interceptions and just one touchdown before he was benched.
The end of the season is cause for concern on its own, but Cousins’ contract situation might be even less appealing. The veteran, who turns 37 in August, is due $27.5 million in base salary this season, fully guaranteed. He is also due a $10 million roster bonus in 2026, which could make any deal a non-starter for some teams. The only way this scenario seems to make sense is if the Falcons absorb a huge chunk of this year’s guaranteed money, something the team hasn’t appeared willing to do to this point.
Another name that has surfaced as a possible trade candidate is Seattle’s Sam Howell. Seahawks GM John Schneider confirmed to reporters Monday that he’s received calls on the QB, though it’s not known whether the Steelers are or would be interested.
A 2022 fifth-round pick, Howell started one game as a rookie and 17 games in 2023 with Washington. In his three-year career, the 24-year-old has thrown 22 touchdowns and 23 interceptions for a passer rating of 77.5. Betting on him to be more than a competent backup would be a big risk. But perhaps as a backup, he’d make some sense.
If the Steelers choose not to draft Sanders or Dart and aren’t interested in trade candidates, Pittsburgh would have to decide how much faith it really has in Rudolph.
Within the Steelers’ organization and in the locker room, Rudolph has earned respect. Though his surprising three-game surge to the playoffs at the end of the 2023 season might have changed some narratives in Pittsburgh, don’t forget that a year ago, the Steelers chose Wilson and Justin Fields instead.
It’s not like Rudolph changed many minds in the NFL last year in Tennessee. He went 1-4 as a starter in place of Will Levis — who is also a possible trade candidate — and threw nine touchdowns and nine interceptions in eight games (five starts) for a quarterback rating of 80.1. That performance earned him backup money in Pittsburgh, $8 million over two years, which is about $16 million per season less than Fields (from the Jets) and $6 million less than Wilson (from the Giants) got guaranteed.
Just 16 months ago, the Steelers felt Rudolph was their third-best quarterback, after spending nearly four seasons with him. If the organization now decides he’s the best option, they were either wrong in their previous assessment, or they’re wrong now. So, which is true?
Depending on what the Steelers and Rodgers decide in the coming days and weeks, we might get an answer to that question soon. Even if the Steelers don’t make a major move at quarterback, passing on Sanders, Dart or a trade candidate could say plenty about their patience with Rodgers, faith in Rudolph or both.
(Photos of Aaron Rodgers, left, and Mason Rudolph: Cooper Neill / Getty Images, Bill Streicher / Imagn Images)
