NFL Panic Meter: Steelers still waiting on Aaron Rodgers, which is bad business

5 days ago 4

For a while, it looked like Kirk Cousins might be the fallback plan for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the Steelers are doing what they said they wouldn’t do.

They’re waiting on Aaron Rodgers.

It’s plausible that the Steelers know that Rodgers will play again in 2026 and both sides have done a good job keeping that news to themselves. Maybe Cousins was tipped off to that, which is why he decided to sign with the Las Vegas Raiders even though they’re about to draft Fernando Mendoza first overall. But nothing is official with Rodgers coming back to the Steelers, or even playing in 2026. And the Steelers have watched the free-agent world go by when it comes to quarterback.

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Which is exactly what they said they wouldn’t do. Steelers general manager Omar Khan said at the NFL scouting combine in February that while the Steelers didn’t have a deadline, the team wouldn’t let Rodgers’ decision drag on. Last season Rodgers didn’t sign until June.

“We’d like to have an idea, but you know, it just isn’t going to go like it did last year,” Khan said.

While technically we have until early June until we reach the “go like it did last year” stage, basically, it’s going the same way.

Malik Willis has signed with the Dolphins. Geno Smith was traded for nothing to the Jets. Tua Tagovailoa and Kyler Murray each signed for the veteran’s minimum. Cousins signed with the Raiders to probably start a few games at most before Mendoza takes the job.

And the Steelers wait. And hope that a soon-to-be 43-year-old quarterback decides to return.

Which is a problem too. The Steelers are holding up their offseason when it comes to quarterback, for a player who was solid last season and certainly good for a QB his age, but is almost certainly going to decline to some degree. Quarterbacks entering their mid-40s don’t get better. And Pittsburgh had another season fans have grown tired of, being barely good enough to make the playoffs and then getting blown out on wild-card weekend. The Steelers have improved the rest of the roster in the offseason but the ceiling with Rodgers is still likely just a record barely above .500 and a quick playoff exit.

There has been no official word on whether Aaron Rodgers will be back with the Steelers this season. (Photo by Perry Knotts/Getty Images)

The Steelers somehow have become beholden to a quarterback who is frighteningly close to an age cliff, who they had only above-average results with a year ago, and who likes taking his time making a decision. The best case scenario for Pittsburgh is that Rodgers comes back for his age-43 season and he’s somehow better than he was in his age-42 season. The worst-case scenario is scary. The Steelers can talk up Will Howard all they want, but he’s a 2025 sixth-round pick who has yet to take an NFL regular-season snap. The chances of Howard or a rookie quarterback from an underwhelming class getting the Steelers further into the playoffs are not good. Jimmy Garoppolo wouldn’t be that answer either. Russell Wilson? Don’t ask.

The Steelers somehow have put themselves in this position again. There’s no viable backup plan. The only real plan now is a quarterback who turns 43 in December. For a well-run organization, it’s stunning they’ve allowed this to happen again.

Panic meter: Pretty high, at least until Rodgers says yes officially … and even then there’s stress

Why did the Raiders sign Kirk Cousins?

Matthew Stafford started from day one. So did Joe Burrow and Dak Prescott. Justin Herbert and Josh Allen did very quickly after weird decisions to start a veteran in Week 1. Caleb Williams, Jayden Daniels, C.J. Stroud and Bo Nix started and had success right away. Trevor Lawrence, Cam Ward and Kyler Murray started immediately and have had success to varying degrees too.

The notion that a quarterback, especially one drafted highly, is better off sitting is flawed at best. It’s fine to slow-cook a quarterback’s progress but there’s no real proof that it’s the best way to go in this era. By the way, Patrick Mahomes would have been Mahomes had he started right away as a rookie too.

But yet, the Raiders want to sit Fernando Mendoza for a while. At least that appears to be the case after Las Vegas spent $20 million for a year of Kirk Cousins.

It’s fine, though also a little curious. Mendoza has played plenty of football; it’s not like he’s raw coming off a national title at Indiana. He’ll be the first pick for a reason. It’s unusual, given the recent history of high picks and the high number of elite NFL quarterbacks who started right away, that the plan is for Mendoza to sit. Does that mean the Raiders are a bit iffy on Mendoza’s ability to play at a high level quickly? Probably not, and ultimately it doesn’t matter much. It seems very likely Cousins will start a few games, then Mendoza will take over. Like that will make a ton of difference in Mendoza’s development.

Cousins can be an expensive mentor. The free-spending Raiders presumably won’t miss $20 million. It’s just unusual, no matter how many people are celebrating the move as a stroke of genius.

Panic meter: None, unless you’re Raiders owner Mark Davis’ accountant

Dexter Lawrence requests a trade

Lawrence is one of the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL. And he wants a trade from the New York Giants.

Lawrence’s trade request, as he has been unable to secure a contract extension, was reported on Monday. It’s obviously huge news when one of the best defensive players in the NFL, who is just 28 years old, wants a trade. Though, we’ll see.

A trade request in early April when nothing else has worked to get a new extension isn’t exactly new. It’s a bit of leverage when there is none otherwise. Doing it a day before the Giants’ first offseason workout day with new coach John Harbaugh probably wasn’t a coincidence. Maybe the Giants will trade him, but … we’ll see.

Panic meter: Slightly for the Giants, but trade demands don’t always lead to deals

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