Steelers, Aaron Rodgers, and the waiting game… Steel City just wants to get it over with.
One minute, A-Rod and Pittsburgh are a ‘match made in heaven’. The next? Rumors fly that Rodgers might be leaning elsewhere. But here’s the kicker—the Steelers are still waiting. They haven’t been told they’re out, but they sure as hell don’t know if they’re in, either. At this point, they’re like a team burning all their timeouts in the first quarter—just standing around, hoping for a break.
That indecision? It’s rubbing some people the wrong way. Enter Cam Heyward, who made it clear he’s not rolling out the red carpet for Rodgers. “You either want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t,” he said on his Not Just Football podcast. Simple. No sales pitch, no recruitment tour. Come or don’t.
And well, it’s a fair point because it’s costing Steelers their precious time and energy. That’s what Michael Lombardi believes in as well. Before you ask the credibility… Well, Michael is a guy who’s been around Bill Belichick long enough to see things before they happen. So his take is pretty direct. The Steelers are in a bad spot because they don’t have a real plan.
“They certainly can’t think they’re gonna find a guy in the draft who’s gonna come in and start for them,” Lombardi said. He’s got a point. Pittsburgh has no quarterbacks on the roster aside from Mason Rudolph. Justin Fields is part of the Gang Green now. And there’s no real inclination to sign Russell Wilson, either.
So, where does that leave them? Sitting around, waiting on Rodgers—a guy who hasn’t exactly been known for making quick, easy decisions. Michael said: “So, you can only have timeline when you have option… The Pittsburgh Steelers are gonna have to sit back and wait for Aaron Rodgers.. I do believe that Kirk Cousins could be in the conversation as well.”
“The Pittsburgh Steelers are gonna have to sit back and wait for Aaron Rodgers..
I do believe that Kirk Cousins could be in the conversation as well” ~ @mlombardiuncgm #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Hv2tVY2rhp
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) March 19, 2025
The problem is: Rodgers holds all the cards. Pittsburgh isn’t dictating this timeline. He is. The Steelers are playing the same waiting game the Jets did, except New York actually landed him. Right now, Pittsburgh doesn’t even know if it’s a real contender or just a name Rodgers keeps around to create leverage.
Meanwhile, the frustrating part is that A-Rod can still play. Last season he threw for 28 TDs… Not AR12 level, but certainly NOT washed. He can still sling it, and teams aren’t lining up for 41-year-old quarterbacks unless they can win. There’s a reason Pittsburgh is waiting, just like there’s a reason they aren’t waiting for Russell Wilson. The upside is there. But at what cost?
Maybe Aaron Rodgers is not the Steelers’ answer, after all…
At this point, the Steelers’ pursuit of Aaron Rodgers feels like waiting on that one friend who says they’re “on the way” but still hasn’t left the house. Pittsburgh is stuck in limbo, unsure if Rodgers will suit up in black and gold or pull another offseason disappearing act. But if Rodgers decides to take his talents elsewhere—or just hang them up for good—the Steelers may have to pivot. And fast.
That brings us to an unexpected name: Joe Milton. The Patriots’ sixth-round pick from last year might not be a household name, but he flashed potential in Week 18 when he got the nod to start. 241 yards, a touchdown, and a 111.4 passer rating—not bad for a rookie making his debut. And with Pittsburgh’s quarterback room looking alarmingly thin (Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson? That’s it?), Milton suddenly becomes an intriguing option.
Boston Globe’s Ben Volin even suggested Pittsburgh could trade their No. 83 overall pick to New England for Milton. “Milton makes sense if Rodgers goes elsewhere, and the Steelers value his upside over the declining skills of Wilson or Cousins,” Volin wrote. It’s not the blockbuster move fans might have hoped for, but it’s a low-risk, high-upside play. Milton has a cannon for an arm, and pairing him with DK Metcalf’s downfield ability could be exactly the kind of aggressive move the Steelers need.
Of course, there’s no guarantee Milton is the answer. He’s a raw talent with limited game reps, and Pittsburgh doesn’t exactly have time to experiment. But at worst, he’s a cheap addition with three years left on his rookie deal. And if he doesn’t pan out? The Steelers can hit the reset button in next year’s draft without having mortgaged their future.
So, while the Steelers wait on Rodgers’ decision, they might want to start exploring their backup plan now. Because if Rodgers drags this out much longer, Pittsburgh might not just be missing out on him—they could be missing out on their actual solution.
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