Number of perfect brackets down to
nearly zero through Friday's early March Madness games
[March 22, 2025]
By WILL GRAVES
Aaron Rodgers might still want to play football. He might even do it
in Pittsburgh.
The four-time NFL MVP met with the Steelers on Friday, a person with
knowledge of the visit told The Associated Press. The person spoke
to the AP on condition of anonymity because the meeting was not made
public. Rodgers spent several hours in the team's facility gathering
information but left without signing a contract.
Pittsburgh currently has an opening at quarterback. Justin Fields,
who along with Russell Wilson led the Steelers to a 10-7 record and
a playoff berth last season, signed with the Jets last week. Wilson
is a free agent but does not appear to be part of Pittsburgh's plans
for 2025. The Steelers signed veteran backup Mason Rudolph to a
two-year deal earlier this week but still have plenty of room on the
roster for another arm or two.
The 41-year-old Rodgers appears to be in no rush to make a decision.
He's spent time in California recently trying to figure out if he
wanted to come back for a 21st season.
Rodgers' methodical approach didn't sit well with longtime Steelers
defensive captain Cam Heyward. The four-time All-Pro expressed
frustration on his podcast earlier this week.
“Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t, it’s that
simple,” Heyward said. “That’s the pitch. If you want me to recruit,
that’s the recruiting pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers. If you want to be
part of it, so be it. If you don’t, no skin off my back.”
Rodgers could be looking to end his career on a more upbeat note
following two turbulent seasons in New York.
A torn left Achilles tendon a handful of snaps into his first game
with the Jets in 2023 ended his season. He returned last fall at 40
and threw 28 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions but also courted
off-the-field drama regularly as the Jets went 5-12.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin has long admired Rodgers, who led the
Green Bay Packers to a victory over Tomlin and the Steelers in the
Super Bowl following the 2010 season. The two have had a handful of
memorable in-game interactions since, including last fall when they
tipped their metaphorical caps to each other when Tomlin managed to
call timeout before Rodgers could catch Pittsburgh with 12 men on
the field during a Steelers blowout of the Jets.
Pittsburgh is trying to emerge from a decade of being pretty good,
but never great while stringing together winning season after
winning season followed by quick playoff exits.
The Steelers' quarterback room has had a revolving door since Ben
Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season. Whoever gets the start
in Week 1 in September will be the team's fifth starting quarterback
in an opener in as many years, following Roethlisberger, Mitch
Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Fields.
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New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks out over the line
of scrimmage during an NFL football game against the Minnesota
Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Oct. 6, 2024 in London. (AP
Photo/Steve Luciano, File)
A year after the Steelers signed Wilson on the
cheap after his unceremonious exit from Denver, they could be taking
another flyer on a player with a Hall of Fame resume but plenty of
baggage.
Rodgers was traded to the Jets in April 2023 after 18 seasons with
the Packers — looking to help the franchise end a Super Bowl drought
that dates to the glory days of Joe Namath and the 1968 season.
Rodgers finished his Jets tenure with six wins — including the
victory during which he was injured — in 18 starts. His 28 touchdown
passes and 3,897 yards passing last year both rank third for a
single season in franchise history. But he lacked some mobility
early in his return and then dealt with a few additional leg
injuries, including a hamstring ailment that hobbled him.
If Rodgers chooses Pittsburgh, he could be playing behind an
offensive line that had trouble protecting Wilson late in the 2024
season as the Steelers dropped their final five games, including a
blowout loss to Baltimore in the opening round of the playoffs.
Whoever the quarterback is will not lack for weapons. The Steelers
traded for two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf and signed him
to a five-year contract. George Pickens is one of the more talented
pass catchers in the league, though he also has made headlines for
petulant behavior both on the field and with the media, and his
future in Pittsburgh is uncertain as he enters the final year of his
rookie deal.
Throw in steady tight end Pat Freiermuth and the running back tandem
of Jaylen Warren and newly signed Kenneth Gainwell, and the Steelers
have some intriguing pieces and a sense of urgency with Heyward in
the twilight of his career and outside linebacker T.J. Watt on the
back end of his prime.
Rodgers' prime is long gone. Yet with the 21st pick in a draft light
on quarterback talent and with not much available on the open
market, the Steelers could decide Rodgers has enough left to keep
them competitive while the franchise looks to 2026 for stability at
the most important position on the field.
____
AP Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. contributed to this report.
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