Aaron Rodgers still hasn’t officially announced his decision for the 2025 NFL season. The 41-year-old has reportedly considered retirement, but the expectation is that he’ll join George Pickens and DK Metcalf on the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Yet, there’s also been some chatter that the Steelers could trade Pickens, who’s headed into the final year of his rookie contract and has since possibly been replaced, or at least complemented by the arrival of Metcalf, a player with a similar play style.
However, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, trade discussions that would send Pickens to another team have “really cooled here.” Plus, Pickens reportedly “wants to stay in Pittsburgh” long-term.
Yet, the Steelers’ decision to curve away from a trade may be directly impacted by their continued pursuit of Rodgers, a future Hall of Fame quarterback.
“Keep in mind, the Steelers are in a position where they need to keep that receiver room as attractive as possible for that man you saw at the Kentucky Derby, Aaron Rodgers, not yet signed. So, they’re not really in the business of trading off capable pieces right now that he could potentially be throwing to.”
ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on George Pickens
Fowler brings up a great point. The Steelers were aggressive in targeting upgrades to their receiver room and managed to land Metcalf. That only makes Pittsburgh a more attractive landing spot, yet if they were to turn around and trade Pickens, their apparent strength would return to a potential weakness, which isn’t what a QB on the back-end of his career would want to see.
The Steelers’ organized team activities, otherwise known as OTAs, kick off on May 27, so the Steelers would presumably prefer to have Rodgers under contract by that time.
Related: NFL rumors: Insider addresses George Pickens’ future with Pittsburgh Steelers
