Steelers Wanted To Avoid "3-Ring Circus" With Big Personality Dynamic Heading Into 2025 NFL Season

The Pittsburgh Steelers were seen as a top option to select Shedeur Sanders to give their quarterback room a boost, but that obviously didn't happen during the 2025 NFL Draft. They clearly were not interested in taking even the slightest risk on drafting him (at least not early on in the event), and they were much more content with letting a division rival try and deal with him. Head Coach Mike Tomlin was sending smokescreens all throughout the draft process about his love for him. When Tomlin is scared off by a questionable character concerns however, there are serious issues. 

While making an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Mike Florio was asked about the reason why the Steelers didn't want Sanders. The reasoning goes back to another saga that Pittsburgh is still dealing with.

"I think that Mike Tomlin likes Aaron Rodgers better [than Sanders] and prefers to not have the potential for a three-ring circus with Aaron Rodgers and Shedeur Sanders in the building," said Florio. "'I've got a starter, and I've got a backup who's going to suck a lot of the oxygen out of the room, who's going to be the focal point of a lot of the questions, interviews, comments, etc. Do we want that?'"

The Steelers are still the only logical team for Aaron Rodgers to play for in the 2025 season. Who knows when he will sign, but retirement seems like the only other option for him. Rodgers already has a big media presence in his own right, so getting another player like that in the same position group is not ideal for Pittsburgh. They had to choose one or the other, and they chose the 41-year-old. 

Florio continues on to explain how else having Rodgers and Sanders on the same team would make life hard on the entire organization.

"They weren't going to take Shedeur Sanders in a spot where people would be like, 'Well, I don't know, maybe they don't want Aaron Rodgers,' or, 'If they struggle this year at some point, maybe we put Shedeur Sanders on the field,'' said Florio. "I think that's a very real dynamic. Even though it's unlikely that the Steelers will be out of it come November/December, you don't want to have Aaron Rodgers' possible final season out of contention, as a practical matter. 'Hey, we have this other guy, let's see what he has.'"

No matter who Rodgers' backup is, there will be calls for him to start if the Steelers have a very bad run. If Sanders was in the building with the veteran, those calls would be louder and louder. You know what you're getting with Mason Rudolph, so he wouldn't be as much of an enticing option as a highly touted rookie with quality upside and an entourage following him everywhere. 

With Rodgers and Sanders, there would likely be distractions and calls for a quarterback swap every time something didn't go Pittsburgh's way. A past-prime 41-year-old quarterback and a rookie that's comparable to Kenny Pickett is not ideal, especially when they are both known for having massive egos. One player's gain would make the other very upset, and the football world will see it unfold quickly. 

Steelers' Experiences With Circuses

The Killer B's era produced a generational offense, but it came with generational toxicity. Ben Roethlisberger, Le'Veon Bell, and Antonio Brown were always doing something questionable with all eyes on them off the field. Tomlin always had to try and defend them in press conferences until he physically couldn't anymore. Bell left to chase money and Brown demanded a trade to a team that would tolerate his antics. The offense still has not fully recovered since that era of Steelers football.

What do you think about the Steelers taking Sanders off their draft board so he wouldn't take away from Rodgers and his spotlight? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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