The Pittsburgh Steelers were flying very high with Russell Wilson as their quarterback after he took over for Justin Fields. Fields had done a nice job steering Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record to start the 2024 season. There was heavy debate about if Head Coach Mike Tomlin should continue to start Fields at quarterback or hand the team over to Wilson.
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Steelers' Russell Wilson and Justin Fields smile during Monday Night Football.
Wilson injured his calf on the first day of the offseason workouts pushing a weighted sled. That caused him to miss six games but Tomlin made an unpopular choice to bench Fields in favor of Wilson. At first, it appeared as if Tomlin was a genius. He made a brutal choice to bench a winning quarterback for a veteran because he admired Wilson's talents and leadership abilities.
However, after three straight losses and underwhelming performances from Wilson. Steeler Nation is starting to have a discussion about the future of the quarterback position. The Steelers will have to decide if they want to move on from Fields or Wilson after the 2024 season comes to an end. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio offered a crazy take that would involve Pittsburgh cutting ties from Wilson and Fields after the season. Florio believes the Steelers should go after Aaron Rodgers.
"When we try to come up with the list of teams that we know will be looking for quarterbacks in the offseason, it's a short list, but I think we've gotta start moving the Steelers into that category as a strong possibility," Florio said Thursday on Pro Football Talk. "The thought that I had the other day, l'm gonna say it. We've seen them make googly eyes at each other during games before, and he's been playing well the past few weeks. Oh, Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tomlin, one ride together next year."
Florio stating this is a crazy take because the New York Jets were expected to be Super Bowl contenders in 2024. Instead they have a horrible record of just 4-11.
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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers stands in front of the media during his introductory press conference in May of 2023 after being traded to the organization.
To make matters even worse, the Jets have a plethora of talent so it makes zero sense why they are struggling to win games. Still, Florio believes Tomlin and the Steelers should consider brining Rodgers in on a one year deal.
"Oh, Aaron Rodgers. Another one-year arrangement," Florio said. "Until they find their franchise guy, let's go get the best guy that we can for the lowest amount of money we can and make the best of it."
A lot of talks were coming out of the Steel City that the Steelers and Wilson wanted to stay together past the 2024 season. However, the recent skid may have changed some of those conversations. Wilson hasn't been playing awful, but he has started to show some of the flaws that many football fans noticed during his time with the Denver Broncos.
Steelers Are In Limbo At The Quarterback Spot
The other issue with extending Wilson would mean that Pittsburgh is giving money to a 36 year old quarterback. They would most likely be letting Fields walk. Fields is just 25 years old and a raw talent. He has shown flashes of promise but has also shown some serious red flags. However, the future could be brighter with a younger quarterback.
If the Steelers chose to listen to Florio's wild take. They would be likely getting a team friendly deal but also signing a 41 year old quarterback in Rodgers. Making matters worse would be the attention and headlines that Rodgers would generate which would be a major distraction. This was on example during his time with the Jets. It's not going to be an exciting take and it likely won't be considered by Pittsburgh. However, Florio believes it should be.
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Steelers' Russell Wilson celebrates a touchdown with George Pickens.
The Steelers are in limbo at quarterback and they are likely to look at all options once again. If Wilson can turn the momentum back around and lead Pittsburgh to a deep postseason run than he may have a couple more years in the Steel City. If he can't than it may be a one and done experiment for Wilson and the Steelers.
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