There were reports that Kirk Cousins was the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Plan B if Aaron Rodgers didn’t re-sign with them. If that was true, it’s no longer an option, as Cousins has joined the Las Vegas Raiders. The free-agent quarterback market is barren outside of Rodgers now. Art Rooney II said he expects an answer from Rodgers by the draft, but Rich Eisen thinks the Cousins news could change that.
“Clearly, this means, in my mind, the Steelers are 100-percent waiting for Aaron Rodgers, and now, have to wait for Aaron Rodgers,” Eisen said Thursday on his show. “[Kirk] Cousins is now off the chess board, going to Vegas…
“He either thought Pittsburgh’s not an option, or maybe it wasn’t an option for him… Maybe there’s a money aspect to it… Now, this means, even though Art Rooney’s [II] like, ‘I would expect an answer before the draft,’ they might have to change their expectation goalpost potentially.”
Eisen might not be wrong. Earlier reports indicated that the Steelers expected an answer from Rodgers by March, which clearly didn’t happen. Now, they’re preparing to hear from him by the draft, but they might have to wait longer than that.
At this point, there’s little point in the Steelers abandoning their pursuit of Rodgers. Their starting quarterback situation likely won’t change much if he doesn’t return. Mike McCarthy and Omar Khan have spoken highly of Will Howard, so maybe they’ll feel comfortable giving him a crack at the job. That might be better than taking a swing at any available free agent besides Rodgers.
The Steelers waited until June last year for Rodgers to sign with them. That seems like the final deadline for him to decide this year.
For what it’s worth, McCarthy has regular communication with Rodgers, which seems to indicate he’ll play this season. However, nothing is official until a deal is signed. Rodgers is a unique individual, so trying to predict what he’s going to do is tough.
While this waiting game is frustrating, it worked well enough for the Steelers last year. Rodgers played alright, and they made the playoffs. Pittsburgh has improved at other positions, too. The team could improve on last season if Rodgers re-signs. It’ll take some patience to see if that happens, though.