And just like that, another quarterback option is officially off the table for the Pittsburgh Steelers. On Tuesday, ESPN insider Adam Schefter announced that veteran quarterback Russell Wilson has reached an agreement with the New York Giants on a one-year deal worth up to $21 million, including $10.5 million guaranteed.
Following a bitter end to Pittsburgh's 2024 postseason, team president Art Rooney II insisted that the Steelers would attempt to retain either Wilson or Justin Fields for the 2025 season. General manager Omar Khan backed up these comments when he spoke at the NFL Combine.
Now, both quarterbacks have found new homes, and the Steelers are left with just one respectable option to save their 2025 season before it even begins.
It's Aaron Rodgers or bust for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025
Despite the statements from the higher-ups in Pittsburgh, it never felt like the Steelers were eager to sign Wilson this offseason. Instead, the goal has been to bring Aaron Rodgers aboard.
Rodgers is coming off an underwhelming 5-12 season with the New York Jets, but the 41-year-old still managed to throw for 28 touchdown passes and 3,897 passing yards. Both of these marks would have been good enough for the best numbers we've seen from a Steelers quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger in 2020.
Here's the scary part. Rodgers is the only option who could potentially aid this team to a more successful season than the one we saw in 2024—a season that ended with an ugly Wild Card loss to the Baltimore Ravens. There is no second-place option.
READ MORE: With Russell Wilson joining the Giants, Aaron Rodgers' options are down to two
Besides Rodgers, all of the best free-agent quarterback options have now been wiped out. Sam Darnold joined the Seattle Seahawks, Justin Fields inked a deal with the New York Jets, and Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston both signed with the New York Giants. Even underwhelming stop-gap quarterback options like Gardner Minshew and Jacoby Brissett are no longer available in free agency.
At this point, if another team swoops in to land Rodgers or if the aging quarterback elects to retire, the Steelers will have no choice but to deploy a soon-to-be 30-year-old Mason Rudolph for a 17-game season. Rudolph was Pittsburgh's third-string quarterback in 2023, and the team didn't like him enough to bring him back on a cheap deal last offseason in the prime of his career.
Aaron Rodgers won't suddenly make the Pittsburgh Steelers Super Bowl contenders, but he's quite literally the only viable option left in free agency who could aid this team to a successful season in 2025.