Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently suggested that Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II needed to give quarterback Aaron Rodgers a “deadline” to decide on playing for the club amid uncertainty hovering over Pittsburgh, the New York Giants and the Minnesota Vikings.
During Friday’s edition of ESPN’s “Get Up” program, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler indicated Rooney won’t go down that road even though Pittsburgh is currently on track to begin training camp practices with longtime backup Mason Rudolph as its QB1.
“I’m hearing the Pittsburgh Steelers are in a position to wait on Aaron Rodgers,” Fowler explained, as shared by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. “They believe Pittsburgh is the most likely to wait this out. They have a standing offer out to Rodgers and they already have their contingency plan in the building in Mason Rudolph. They can play him in a pinch, but they’re not looking at a lot of other options. Right now, it seems to be ‘Rodgers or bust’ for Pittsburgh.”
It appears the Steelers and Giants would sign Rodgers immediately. However, a Friday report suggested that the Vikings could contact the future Hall of Famer later this spring if 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy suffers a setback after the meniscus repair he needed last summer or if Minnesota determines McCarthy “needs more development time.”
Both the Steelers and Giants theoretically could sign a different veteran quarterback via an inexpensive deal that could essentially be terminated if Rodgers came calling. Meanwhile, there’s no sign that the Steelers or Russell Wilson are rushing to resume that relationship after Pittsburgh lost its final five games of the 2024 season with Wilson in the lineup.
It’s thought that Rodgers has the Vikings atop his power rankings of potential landing spots, followed by the Steelers and then the Giants.
“The people I’ve talked to around the league believe that the Giants could pivot off Aaron Rodgers if they haven’t already,” Fowler continued during the segment. “I talked to somebody with the team who said, ‘We started working contingency plans the moment we started bringing in free agents (such as Wilson) for visits.'”
Steelers players may feel frustrated that Pittsburgh seems to be Rodgers’ second choice, but they may also have to welcome the 41-year-old into the locker room later this year if the Vikings name McCarthy their Week 1 starter.
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