The Pittsburgh Steelers will be a team to watch during the 2025 offseason as the organization can go in a lot of different directions when it comes to the quarterback position. The only quarterback currently on the roster is Skylar Thompson, which doesn't make the outlook on the position very hopeful. Both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are slated to hit free agency in March, and while it is likely the franchise decides to move forward with one of those players, there are some other intriguing names that are expected to be available.
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Aaron Rodgers stands with Mike Tomlin before a game while he was the quarterback for the Green Bay Packers.
Outside of the quarterbacks that were on Pittsburgh's roster during the 2024 season, the most interesting name that should be available is Aaron Rodgers. The veteran quarterback spent the last two seasons with the New York Jets after having a ton of success with the Green Bay Packers. Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin has always been fond of Rodgers, although the quarterback did hand him his lone Super Bowl loss. Tomlin's predecessor Bill Cowher went on The Dan Patrick Show on Monday, and he was asked if Pittsburgh is a realistic landing spot for the veteran.
"Yeah, I mean I don't know where they are right now in terms of their quarterback situation with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields and Aaron," Cowher said. "I think a decision has to be made, you know, what's the future plan? What is the plan in the interim? There's got to be a sense of urgency and taking some guys on the back end of their careers like Cam Heyward and TJ Watt, you know they're in the latter stages of their careers, so they want to win now. You also have to have a plan moving forward. There will be dialogue there, those will be the conversations taking place in that building."
Most of the high-end talent on the roster in Pittsburgh is a bit older, which means the Steelers still want to move forward with the intentions of winning now. There will still be some focus on the future, but Tomlin wants his team to be competitive in the AFC, and the group fell short of that goal in 2024.
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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers stands in front of the media during his introductory press conference in May of 2023 after being traded to the organization.
It is hard to imagine that Rodgers would be able to get Pittsburgh over the hump. He struggled during the 2024 season with the Jets, although he had two great weapons in Garrett Wilson and Davante Adams. The quarterback has also lost a good amount of mobility due to age and suffering a devastating injury at the start of the 2023 season. The Jets made their intentions to move on from Rodgers clear, with the idea being to release him with a post-June 1st designation. This would allow the Steelers to sign him at the start of free agency, if the organization is interested.
It was clear throughout the 2024 season that Rodgers is not what he used to be, and relying on him to be the starter in 2025 seems like a step backwards for Pittsburgh.
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Steelers quarterbacks Justin Fields and Russell Wilson look on during practice in 2024.
Steelers Have Better Options Than Aaron Rodgers In 2025
Rodgers has an impressive resume, but there is likely too much baggage that comes with signing a quarterback like him. He is contemplating retirement, and he has made a ton of headlines over the years with some of his comments to the media. Pittsburgh would be better off re-signing Fields, who is considerably younger and fits the mold of the modern day quarterback in the NFL. Even Wilson would be a better option, although he ended the 2024 season on a bad note.
Another option is Matthew Stafford, who could be dealt by the Los Angeles Rams. It is unclear what Los Angeles wants to do with their quarterback, but trading for him doesn't seem out of the realm of possibility.
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