The Pittsburgh Steelers made a huge move on Wednesday when they traded George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, and many have wondered what that might say about their ongoing pursuit of Aaron Rodgers. It is possible even the Steelers have no idea.
ESPN’s Peter Schrager offered an update on the Rodgers situation during a Thursday appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.” For the most part, the update is that there is no update, as the Steelers still do not know whether they are going to sign Rodgers.
According to Schrager, Rodgers has been very up front with teams and told them to “please move on” if they need to operate under a specific timeline. The Steelers have chosen to wait, but they have not been given any assurances that Rodgers will be their quarterback in 2025.
“I don’t think there’s this assumed handshake deal. They would have announced it. They would have signed him,” Schrager said. “I still think he’s deliberating. From what I gather, Pittsburgh knows no more now than they did at the draft or before the draft.”
"Aaron Rodgers has been very up front with the Steelers and he was very up front with the Giants..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) May 8, 2025
The Steelers are willing to wait and I don't think Pittsburgh knows more now than they did before the draft" ~ @PSchrags #PMSLive https://t.co/KgRRJvEz3f pic.twitter.com/CAlpRgo0nr
Rodgers at one point had offers from both the Steelers and New York Giants. The latter chose to move on by signing veterans Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston and then drafting Jaxson Dart in the first round. Pittsburgh’s only viable starting option at the moment is Mason Rudolph, though they did draft Will Howard in the sixth round.
There have been some signs that the Steelers are confident they will eventually land Rodgers, but Schrager makes it seem like there has not been a whole lot of communication between the two sides.
With Pickens now in Dallas, the Steelers are down a top receiving option. They have added DK Metcalf as their No. 1 option and are said to be pursuing a former Rodgers teammate, but Rodgers is not going to be throwing passes to both Pickens and Metcalf. If the Steelers thought that would have a big impact on his decision, they probably would have held off on making the deal.
