The Pittsburgh Steelers are in need of a new starting quarterback for the 2025 season. They still hope to pencil Aaron Rodgers into the starting lineup, but until the future Hall of Famer writes his signature on the dotted line of a contract, nothing is certain.
For now, the Steelers have Mason Rudolph atop the depth chart. Yet, moving forward with a 29-year-old who has a career win-loss record of 9-8-1 to go with a TD: INT ratio of 28/20 isn’t ideal for a team with playoff aspirations.
Needless to say, the Steelers still have to be hoping a quarterback with a higher ceiling falls into their laps, whether it’s in the 2025 NFL Draft or by acquiring a veteran.
Related: 2025 NFL mock draft: Who should the Steelers draft in the first round?
Pittsburgh Steelers linked to Kirk Cousins trade as Aaron Rodgers fallback option
Whether it’s Aaron Rodgers or someone else, the Pittsburgh Steelers need to start making plans for who their starting quarterback will be in 2025.
According to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, one potential solution could be to wait out the Kirk Cousins situation with the Atlanta Falcons. Cousins is waiting until after the 2025 NFL Draft to waive his no-trade clause to avoid a similar situation as last year when he was usurped by first-round rookie Michael Penix Jr.
“So where could Cousins go? I think Cleveland is a lot less likely now, but not completely impossible. The other team I’d pay attention to is the Pittsburgh Steelers, if Aaron Rodgers decides not to go there. How he fits there, with the strong personalities in that locker room, and on offense in particular, is a fair question. But you don’t have to squint too hard to envision a marriage of convenience between two sides who, once the dust settles on Rodgers, may need each other.”
SI’s Albert Breer on Kirk Cousins/Steelers
If the Steelers do end up avoiding drafting another QB, then why shouldn’t they consider Cousins? With Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson as the only quarterbacks on the roster, the Steelers will have to add one, possibly even two more to the depth chart before camp breaks.
Depending on how much of Cousins’ $27.5 million salary an acquiring team is willing to pay, they may not have to fork over much draft capital. As a result, the Steelers could luck into adding a four-time Pro Bowl quarterback if, for whatever reason, Rodgers decides not to head to Pittsburgh.
Related: 2025 NFL QB Rankings: Where does Kirk Cousins rank?
