The Pittsburgh Steelers have been eagerly awaiting a decision from quarterback Aaron Rodgers regarding where the quarterback will sign. Both the Steelers' starting quarterbacks from 2024, Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, became free agents this offseason, and Pittsburgh is now without a reliable starting signal-caller for the upcoming season. It's unclear if the Steelers were planning to pursue Rodgers the entire time, but the team seems content to wait for the quarterback to make his decision. With the Minnesota Vikings and the New York Giants out of the running, Rodgers' only two options are seemingly between Pittsburgh and retirement. According to one star NFL player, Rodgers may be better off retired than as a Pittsburgh Steeler.
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Aaron Rodgers during his time with the New York Jets.
Las Vegas Raiders defensive end, Maxx Crosby spoke on his show, The Rush, on Thursday, about the future of Rodgers' career.
"I think he retires," said Crosby. "The fact that he's not with Davante [Adams], he's not very familiar with Pittsburgh. I don't know, I feel like he retires. ... I can't see him in a Pittsburgh uniform."
It's a scathing take, considering the Steelers seemingly have so much riding on Rodgers. Without Rodgers, the Steelers may be forced to use their first-round draft pick come late April on a quarterback. Whether or not the Steelers meant to pursue Rodgers this intently to begin with, he may be their best option now.
Rodgers seems to be alluding to signing with the Steelers. After visiting with the team for six hours at the team facility, it would seem that the two parties have a deal worked out already, but Rodgers has yet to finalize it. If Rodgers were to decide to retire at his point, all of the Steelers' waiting would have been for nothing, and Pittsburgh would be left scrambling for a quarterback.
It would be a bad look for the Steelers to have waited so long for a quarterback, only for him to turn his back on the team. It would also reflect poorly on Rodgers, having kept teams in suspense so long, and then deciding he doesn't want to play at all.
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Pittsburgh Steelers' Mike Tomlin confused about a call against the Commanders.
Rodgers is 41 years old and will be 42 by the end of the 2025 season. If he does choose to play another year in the NFL, he will likely want to go to whatever team already has a well well-constructed offense that will give him the best chance of winning. Right now, that's the Steelers.
During this offseason, the Steelers have picked up plenty of high-end offensive players, such as DK Metcalf and Kenneth Gainwell. If Rodgers is likely looking for a team to play with for a single season, and to end his career on a high note, it should be Pittsburgh. The Steel City has targets like Metcalf and George Pickens, which could be a convincing enough reason to sign with the team.
Steelers Are Hoping Vikings Are Out Of The Picture
Rodgers previously had told the Vikings that they were his first choice, and now Minnesota is out of the running. If the Steelers' offensive players aren't enough to convince Rodgers to join the team, then his best option may be to retire.
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Aaron Rodgers walks through the snow.
Besides his own ego, Rodgers may be waiting to see what the Steelers and other teams do in the draft. Rodgers could choose to wait until the summer to see if any signal-caller jobs become open. The upcoming draft has a scarcity of promising quarterbacks. If any teams in need of a quarterback are unable to get any of the few good ones that are available, they may turn to veterans such as Rodgers to round out their roster.
It's unlikely that Rodgers would take anything other than a starting position. However, the aging quarterback may accept that he isn't the asset he once was and play backup for a younger quarterback. It's one of the most unlikely endings to the Rodgers saga, but it could be his last chance to play.
Do you think Rodgers should sign with the Steelers or retire? Will he wait to see if any other teams need a quarterback? Let us know in the comments.
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