UCLA lit up on Monday, March 31, when veteran QB Aaron Rodgers threw passes to Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf. Just ten days earlier, Rodgers had visited the team in Pittsburgh. The moment sparked excitement among millions of Black and Gold fans—and even head coach Mike Tomlin couldn’t hide his enthusiasm. Speaking at the NFL Annual Meeting, Tomlin was over the moon, emphasizing that there’s “no substitute for intimacy and spending time together.“
But has anything actually changed? Not really. Aaron Rodgers remains a free agent, and he’s not ready to commit. However, we may finally have an idea why.
Two-time Super Bowl winner and NFL legend Ben Roethlisberger shared the insight on his podcast, Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. He claimed that A-Rod still wanted to talk to the Vikings and said, “But I think Aaron Rodgers secretly—again, just my opinion—I think Aaron is secretly still holding out for Minnesota, which is why he hasn’t signed with the Steelers. Why else would you not? Why else would you go throw to DK and be working out and put it on blast to everybody that I’m throwing to these guys, but you won’t sign?” This is an obvious question that needs answers.
Mike Tomlin would really like the veteran to come and join the franchise. If that happens before the draft, it would help them build a team around him. But there’s no imminent sign of that. Aaron Rodgers is still holding out. But why? The legend explained the reason as well.
He added, “I just think that he thinks that Minnesota is a more complete, closer team to win a Super Bowl.” That’s the impact of the results in recent times. Let’s compare the numbers from the 2024 season. The Steelers had a 10-7 win-loss record and lost the wild card to the Ravens. Although the Vikings also lost their wild card game to the Rams, they had a much better 14-3 record in the regular season.
The Vikings have also released Sam Darnold. And HC Kevin O’Connell wants to push JJ McCarthy as their starter. Will they have a place for Aaron Rodgers? Probably not! If the veteran takes too much time, even Mike Tomlin might move ahead with a rookie from the coming draft.
Mike Tomlin is eyeing signal callers in the 2025 Draft
While the waiting game goes on, the Steelers are checking their options in the draft. They pick 21st in the first round. The most obvious QB choice is the Ole Miss Rebels QB Jaxson Dart. On Friday, April 4, they hosted 4 athletes from the top 30 groups, and Dart was one of them.
Mike Tomlin was there to talk to him. He has already talked to him at the combine as well. On the Ole Miss’s Pro Day last week, the Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl saw the player in action. Despite lacking Aaron Rodgers’ experience, he is undeniably talented.
The 6-foot-2, 223-pound athlete has played 45 games (41 starts) over five years of college football. With a 28-13 win-loss record, he completed 852 of 1,307 passes for a 65.2% completion rate, totaling 11,970 passing yards, 81 touchdowns, and 27 interceptions. On top of that, Mike Tomlin could benefit from his rushing ability as well. Dart logged 393 rushing attempts for 1,541 yards and 14 touchdowns. His brilliance has shown up in flashes.
Now, it’s in the hands of the head coach and his staff. The Steelers haven’t even reached the AFC Championship game since 2016. If they want to turn things around, their planning needs to be nothing short of foolproof.
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