The Pittsburgh Steelers have made some notable moves ahead of the 2025 NFL season, including their blockbuster trade for wide receiver DK Metcalf. However, after watching quarterback Justin Fields agree to sign with the New York Jets on a two-year, $40 million deal, Pittsburgh still lacks answers at the game’s most important position.
The Steelers have been rumored as a suitor for Aaron Rodgers this offseason, and considering the team appears to be just a quality quarterback away from genuine contention, it’s not surprising that both parties continue to explore a potential agreement.
Rodgers, 41, is coming off a rough 5-12 season with the Jets following his Achilles tear in 2023. He’s also been mingling with other teams, including the Minnesota Vikings and New York Giants.
LeSean McCoy Compares Pittsburgh Steelers To “Incompetent” Browns, Jets
Fields, who started six games for the Steelers in 2024 (going 4-2) before giving way to veteran Russell Wilson (who also remains a free agent), finished the 2024 season with a 78.1 grade, according to PFSN’s QB+ metric.
That ranked ahead of both Wilson (75.3 QB+) and Rodgers (72.2 QB+), though technically, Fields didn’t have enough pass attempts to qualify in the rankings. Regardless, it’s clear the Steelers have put themselves in a difficult spot by letting the young, mobile signal-caller walk.
Two-time Super Bowl champion running back LeSean McCoy, who saw plenty of Pittsburgh while playing a decade between the Buffalo Bills and cross-state rival Philadelphia Eagles, didn’t mince words when asked on FS1’s “The Facility” about the current state of the Steelers.
“This is the first time, I got to be honest, that the Pittsburgh Steelers look like an incompetent franchise. You go out there, spend [$150] million on a superstar wide receiver with no quarterback. What are we doing here?” McCoy asked, befuddled at the team’s resource allocation.
“Is this the Steelers or is this the Jets? Is this the Browns? I’m disappointed with the Steelers franchise, what they’re doing right now.”
LeSean McCoy on the Steelers: “You go out there and spend 125 million-dollars willy-nilly on a superstar wide receiver with no quarterback, what are we doing here? Is this the Steelers or is this the Jets? Is this the Browns?” #Steelers #NFL
— Blitzburgh (@Blitz_Burgh)
Of course, the Jets and Cleveland Browns have long been the laughingstock franchises of the NFL, sharing in the unique misery of being unable to find a franchise quarterback for decades.
The Jets have the longest playoff drought in the league at 14 seasons, while the Browns have made the postseason just three times since returning to action in the 1999 season.
In Metcalf and George Pickens, the Steelers have one of the most talented (and combustible) wide receiver rooms in football.
With further investments into their offensive line, it isn’t hard to imagine the team finding a ton of success on the offensive side of the ball in 2025 if they find the right quarterback.
That quarterback isn’t Mason Rudolph, though, whom the franchise recently reunited with. With their options dwindling ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft, the Steelers are in danger of risking a lost season akin to recent campaigns from the Jets and Browns if they can’t wrangle Rodgers.