At 8-2, the Pittsburgh Steelers aren't concerned with tomorrow's problems. Mike Tomlin's team is headed toward a playoff berth, and this time, he'll fight to make sure their winless postseason drought ends.
While the coaching staff is focused on beating the Cleveland Brown on Thursday Night Football, the front office will soon weigh all of their options to bolster their roster in 2025. One of those could include a change at quarterback we didn't see coming.
The New York Jets have had enough of losing. Already this year, the organization has fired head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas. More housecleaning could be coming during the offseason, and quarterback Aaron Rodgers is one prominent player rumored to be on the chopping block.
The presence of a future Hall of Fame quarterback has not brought the Jets the results they hoped for when they mortgaged their future to bring him to New York. Now the long-time veteran, who turns 41 years old in December, could be looking for one final destination in the NFL before hanging up his cleats.
Recently, Gilberto Manzano of Sports Illustrated connected the dots between Rodgers and the Steelers as a potential top pairing in 2025.
"The dreadful game Russell Wilson had in Pittsburgh’s 18–16 victory against the Baltimore Ravens is why I wouldn’t rule out coach Mike Tomlin making a run at Rodgers," Manzano wrote. "Even this version of Rodgers probably would have offered more than Wilson did Sunday, when he didn’t produce a touchdown and threw a killer interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter."
Rodgers to Pittsburgh feels like a wild thought... but then again, nobody thought Russell Wilson and Justin Fields would both be on the Steelers in 2024.
Steelers could make a play for Aaron Rodgers during 2025 offseason
Based on how things have gone so far, it's most reasonable to believe that the Pittsburgh Steelers will retain one of Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. Wilson will be a 36-year-old quarterback with loads of experience while Fields will be 26 during the 2025 season.
Landing Rodgers was something that was never on the radar, but it could be now. Wilson is on a one-year contract while Fields is entering the final year of his rookie deal. Because the Steelers did not hand Fields the fifth-year option that would have guaranteed him $25 million for the 2025 season, both players will be unrestricted free agents.
If the Steelers fall flat late in the season or struggle in the playoffs at the hands of their quarterback play, it would make sense for Pittsburgh to attempt to fix the problem with another stop-gap signal-caller, and Rodgers could be up for grabs.
This year, Rodgers has recorded 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his first 11 games to go with 6.4 yards per attempt and an underwhelming passer rating of 88.9 on the season. Under different circumstances, with a more talented team, and a better offensive coordinator, it's possible the aging quarterback could have a bounce-back year late in his career.
Still, Rodgers sporting the black and gold threads feels like a longshot. If the former four-time MVP quarterback does get the ax next offseason, the Steelers could be a suitor.