New Steelers Free Agent Acquisition Tries To Recruit Aaron Rodgers To Pittsburgh

The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a few moves as free agency has began, but with all the cap space they currently have, they are obviously not done. They could go after another wide receiver to load up on depth, or another quarterback for competition with Mason Rudolph -- or something else entirely. The new league year has just begun, and there are still plenty of possibilities for players to wear the black and gold by training camp. 

Brandin Echols is one of the brand new signings for the Steelers, as he helps with depth all over the secondary. He has played against some great quarterbacks during his tenure, but he recently had to practice against Aaron Rodgers every week while they were teammates for the New York Jets. During his introductory press conference, Echols was asked about going against him daily.

"When he first got [to the Jets], I couldn't really feel him out, but after a while, we kind of gravitated towards each other," said Echols. "In practices, he started to try to attack me, but it was for the betterment of me. I will say: having him around, it did make me a better football player."

Of course, that's what practice is all about: everyone getting better. The Jets kept bringing in receivers that Rodgers had lots of chemistry with, even if he didn't get to play with them in the 2023 regular season due to his torn Achilles. When they brought in Davante Adams, however, anyone that was guarding him had to be ready for a heavy workload in practice, including Echols. 

Echols was later asked about the idea of having Rodgers as the Steelers' quarterback and re-uniting the two teammates.

"H**l yeah, tell his a** to come over," said Echols excitedly. 

Even though the Steelers just brought back Rudolph, there is no guarantee that he will be the starting quarterback. They will likely need someone to at least compete with him, whether it's a veteran or a younger player. You can't get a lot more veteran experience for competition than you would with signing Rodgers. 

With all the questions surrounding Rodgers' ability to play at this point in his career, it would most likely be an honest quarterback competition between him and Rudolph. The returning Steeler knows all about how Head Coach Mike Tomlin operates, so he should not have too many issues adjusting to the system and getting up to speed. 

The Steelers have been linked to Rodgers ever since they lost out on the top quarterback options on the first day of the legal tampering period. With the lack of talent in the free agent pool, as well as Pittsburgh's desperate need there, he was expected to get a hefty payday as well. Supply and demand leaves the team with no leverage in negotiations.

Would The Steelers Get Veteran Competition For Rudolph?

While it would not make a lot of sense to give Rudolph the keys to the offense immediately, getting older does not make much sense. If the Steelers want to get some sort of upside, they need to get younger at the position and get them for cheap, like they did in 2024 when they only gave up what ended up being a sixth-round pick for Justin Fields.

Trey Lance was seen as a long-term project that had not been given the chance to properly develop. He could come in and be a backup to try and get one last shot at reaching the potential that everyone expected out of him when he was drafted with the third overall pick in 2021. The Steelers have also been linked to Joe Milton III after his NFL debut became a huge success. He would likely cost an early Day 3 draft pick in a trade to get him, but it's already been established that he has elite potential. If he can work on his mechanics, he could be a quality developmental piece.

What do you think about Echols wanting to bring Rodgers to Pittsburgh, as well as how a competition with Rudolph would look? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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