The Pittsburgh Steelers raised a few eyebrows with their blockbuster trade for former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf and the even bigger contract to which they inked him ($150 million over five years).
The move indicated a significant pivot from the common perception of where the Steelers were headed this offseason. Justin Fields went from the favorite to return as Pittsburgh’s starter in 2025 to a $40 million contract with the New York Jets.
Russell Wilson’s prospects of supplanting Fields in that regard took a hit when Dianna Russini of The Athletic reported that the Steelers planned to make an offer to former Minnesota Vikings QB Sam Darnold. Darnold ended up inking a deal with Seattle, but Pittsburgh had tipped its hand in terms of what kind of signal-caller it was looking to pair with Metcalf and George Pickens.
QB Russell Wilson of the Pittsburgh Steelers (left) and QB Aaron Rodgers, formerly of the New York Jets, (right).
Not long after, Aaron Rodgers emerged as a potential candidate to take over for a Steelers group clearly looking to up its offensive game in an effort to extricate itself from a long-persisting first-round playoff purgatory. Pittsburgh has made the postseason following four of the past five campaigns and lost its opening game every time.
The New York Giants are potential competition for Rodgers’ services, though given his age (41) and the state of the two teams’ rosters, Pittsburgh would figure to have the edge as likely the more competitive franchise in 2025.
However, the Minnesota Vikings have now emerged as a potentially serious contender for Rodgers after weeks of relatively thin speculation from media members on the possibility of a union.
“Vikings decision makers are still evaluating their options at quarterback, including the possibility of signing Aaron Rodgers,” The Athletic’s Dianna Russini wrote Wednesday, March 12. “The four-time MVP is intrigued by the idea of playing in Minnesota. For now, it’s a waiting game, sources tell [Mike Silver] and me.”
ESPN’s Kevin Seifert appeared on “SportsCenter” Wednesday, and while his reporting was not as firm as Russini’s, it did more than leave the window cracked on a Rodgers-Vikings agreement.
“There’s still a possible curveball here,” Seifert said. “My understanding is that the Vikings have at least been entertaining the possibility internally of what it would look like to add Aaron Rodgers into this quarterback room.”
“The idea would be, you have a 14-win team, you have the reigning coach of the year in Kevin O’Connell, you have an All-Pro receiver in Justin Jefferson, offensive and defensive lines that have been upgraded here in free agency, and also a pretty great defense with Brian Flores,” Seifert continued. “So you drop Aaron Rodgers into that mix and potentially you have a Super Bowl favorite for 2025.”
