The Pittsburgh Steelers learned from last offseason. They’re not waiting around for Aaron Rodgers to make his decision. While they are waiting for his decision, they aren't getting complacent. Instead, they’re being proactive. Last year, they were at the mercy of Aaron Rodgers as he played games, contemplated retirement and then decided in the eleventh hour to commit to the Steelers.
This year, Pittsburgh is committed to running it back with Rodgers, but they’re making it clear he’s not in control. They’ve shown interest in Kirk Cousins and even doing their draft scouting homework on this year’s quarterback class. Mason Rudolph and Will Howard are already rostered, but neither are their preferred options. If Rodgers falls through, the Steelers already have backup plans in place. Unlike last year, they don’t need Rodgers, but they won’t be mad to have him again. If he goes elsewhere, well, at least Pittsburgh is already prepared for the worst.
Why Pittsburgh having an Aaron Rodgers backup plan this offseason is wise
The Steelers opted not to go after Malik Willis or Kyler Murray, two of the biggest names this offseason. That’s probably because they’d prefer Rodgers over any other quarterback. But the fact that they aren’t all in on Rodgers and still exploring other options is important to note. Turning to Cousins is a good idea considering we’ve seen the charade Rodgers likes to play. Although Cousins is still recovering from an Achilles injury, he might be the better fit in Pittsburgh.
What makes the Cousins rumor interesting is that he wants to go somewhere he can play right away and not be a mentor to a young quarterback. That’s exactly what Pittsburgh is right now. I don’t see the Steelers running it back with Russell Wilson and the options are limited outside of those two.
A trade for J.J. McCarthy isn’t out of the question either, but it feels like the Steelers are going to go with a veteran bridge option rather than a young player that’s looking for a fresh start. That said, they’re also looking at their future star via the draft. The Steelers are exhausting all their options while they wait for Rodgers’ decision, which includes possibly Carson Beck.
Pittsburgh Steelers aren’t ruling out NFL Draft to solve possible quarterback solution
The Steelers are doing their homework in the NFL Draft as well for quarterback answers. TribLive.com reported Pittsburgh invited both Carson Beck and Chris Johnson, a cornerback from San Diego State, to further evaluate them. Beck wouldn’t be a bad option because it would take the pressure off them using their first round pick to go after Ty Simpson.
There’s been a lot of talk of the Steelers possibly drafting Simpson with their first round pick, but there’s a chance they’re looking deeper in the draft for quarterback depth and possible answers under center. While this quarterback class may not be deep, it is a class where you could land a decent option later in the draft. Sure Garrett Nussmeier, Cade Klubnik and even Drew Allar all struggled this season, but it doesn’t mean they can’t be developed into NFL quarterbacks.
Pittsburgh has options and the good thing is they’re thinking about all of this now and not waiting until Rodgers’ decision.
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