Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Throws Innocent Jab At Lack Of Trade Deadline Moves From The Organization

The Pittsburgh Steelers saw the trade deadline come and go on Tuesday, and the team made no moves to add to the offense, which is something many within the fan base wanted to see. The only notable trade Pittsburgh made since the 2025 season began was acquiring safety Kyle Dugger ahead of the team's Week 9 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts. Dugger proved to be a good addition, but fans wanted more, especially another top-flight weapon for quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the offensive side of the ball.

Pittsburgh has been involved in trade rumors surrounding various disgruntled wide receivers around the league ever since the start of the season. As certain teams began to lose more and more, those rumors intensified as it became clearer which organizations might turn into "sellers" at the trade deadline. Despite several wide receivers openly being available around the league, General Manager Omar Khan was not able to bring anyone in as he failed to get a deal done. Brooke Pryor asked Rodgers about this during his media availability on Wednesday.

"You know, what I've learned about the trading deadline is there is a lot of conversation and rarely a ton of action," Rodgers said. "Maybe a little bit more the last few years. But, in my early days, there was hardly ever any roster moves at the deadline. There was some big ones yesterday, but you feel pretty good about your guys. And we added Marquez [Valdes-Scantling] to the [practice]-squad."

Rodgers touched on there always being conversations between organizations as the deadline gets closer and closer, but not often do deals actually materialize. That was the case for Pittsburgh this time around, as it was reported that Khan was being very aggressive on the phones searching for a wide receiver, but the price was not right in any potential deal. 

Khan not getting a deal done is not necessarily a bad thing. He didn't want to overpay, and that is important considering the age of some of the players on the roster. Pittsburgh is at a pivotal point as it will soon have to find its next franchise quarterback, while also replacing several stars on the defensive side of the ball. That makes draft capital all the more valuable, and Khan was not about to give that up -- especially not for a rental player who is only under contract for the rest of the 2025 season.

Two of the top targets for Pittsburgh to consider were Jakobi Meyers and Rashid Shaheed, and those receivers went for relatively cheap when it came to draft capital. However, they are perfect examples of a risky trade. Both players are on expiring deals, and the Steelers would not have extended either player until the 2025 season was over, and by that point, they might just want to test the market in open free agency in March. It would have been a major risk.

Rodgers mentioned the addition of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who was one of his wide receivers from his time with the Green Bay Packers. The two have an existing chemistry, and Valdes-Scantling could be elevated from the practice squad at some point throughout the remainder of the regular season. He is a deep threat with a big frame, which is something Pittsburgh could use on offense.

Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Is Used To A Lack Of Weapons

Rodgers had a lack of offensive weapons to throw to throughout the majority of his time with the Packers. The organization famously passed on drafting any help for the offense in 2020 and instead decided to draft a quarterback who would end up being Rodgers' replacement. Green Bay picked a wide receiver in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft for the first time since 2002, which meant Rodgers did not have a home-grown, first-round target throughout his entire time with the Packers. He'll be just fine in Pittsburgh without any sudden trade deadline additions.

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