New Team Poking Around Aaron Rodgers Likely Forced Steelers To Make A Move

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the messier quarterback situations in the NFL. It has been five consecutive seasons with a new Week 1 starter, and the organization is hoping to break that trend by bringing back Aaron Rodgers for the 2026 season. It has seemed like the two sides were going to come to an agreement on a one-year deal at some point, but the veteran is taking his time making his decision as he ponders whether or not to retire. This led the Steelers to place the right-of-first-refusal tender on Rodgers, which essentially locks him into Pittsburgh or retirement.

News broke on Tuesday morning that the Steelers were placing this tender on the quarterback, which means the Steelers can match any offer he receives. If he does not sign before training camp, the Steelers become the only team he can sign with. Plus, if he does somehow sign elsewhere before the start of training camp, Pittsburgh would be in line to receive a compensatory draft pick. The move makes sense for the Steelers, but it is interesting to think about what could have caused the franchise to decide to do this.

All this tender does is make Rodgers more exclusive to Pittsburgh, which makes it fair to speculate that there may have been some other teams around the league that could have been interested in the four-time league MVP. Mike Florio reported that the Denver Broncos could be interested in the veteran as Bo Nix recovers from his ankle injury, but there didn't seem to be much to that report.

The Broncos wouldn't make much sense. However, a team with quarterback questions and a good amount of offensive weapons would. A team that fits this category would be the Arizona Cardinals. The franchise released Kyler Murray and he signed with the Minnesota Vikings, and the two realistic starting options the organization has at quarterback are Jacoby Brissett and Carson Beck.

Beck was drafted with the first pick of the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, and Arizona probably does not want to start him. Brissett is unhappy with his current contract situation as he wants more money, and he is currently being viewed as a potential trade candidate. Insert Rodgers.

There are a few different dots to connect between Rodgers and the Cardinals. One is obviously Head Coach Mike LaFleur. Rodgers played under his brother Matt LaFleur with the Green Bay Packers. While Mike never coached on that Green Bay staff, both stem from some version of the Shanahan coaching tree, which is something that Rodgers likes. Additionally, Rodgers has always had an affinity for the west coast, which is where he grew up. This would be as close to the west coast as the quarterback has been throughout his professional career.

Steelers' Offense Isn't Much Better Than Arizona's

It is also important to consider the offenses of each franchise, and the weapons in Arizona have to be somewhat intriguing. The Cardinals have arguably the best tight end in the league in Trey McBride. Marvin Harrison Jr., Michael Wilson, and Kendrick Bourne are a very solid top three at wide receiver. They also have rising left tackle in Paris Johnson Jr., as well as Rodgers' former teammate Isaac Seumalo at left guard. The running back room is loaded with Jeremiyah Love, Tyler Allgeier, and potentially James Conner returning from injury.

That offense is intriguing. With the quarterback questions in Arizona and the odd timing of this tender, it is fair to wonder whether Rodgers might have some other options.

What do you think about Rodgers potentially being interested in signing elsewhere? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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