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Like the Jets before them, the Steelers are making win-now moves to secure Aaron Rodgers

On the doorstep of the NFL Draft, the Pittsburgh Steelers were crystal clear about their quarterback situation. One way or another, additions — plural — were going to be made.

“We go to camp with four quarterbacks,” Steelers general manager Omar Khan said, prior to the first day of the draft. “Right now we have two on the roster. All options are on the table in how we acquire those last two. I assure you we’ll have four when we get to [training camp in] Latrobe.”

The draft has come and gone, with the sixth-round selection of Ohio State’s Will Howard adding to that room. This was an Aaron Rodgers move in a Steelers draft that was stacked with Aaron Rodgers moves. We’ll get to that in a second. First, the bottom line: Roughly five weeks out from the team’s mandatory attendance full-squad minicamp in June, Pittsburgh remains on schedule to get Rodgers into the fold.

However, that schedule won’t include a clock or deadlines, no matter how many times the outside world tries to nail one down. That’s for the very much intended purpose of eliminating more stories about Rodgers’ existence in Pittsburgh's orbit, eliminating questions about why he is not taking part in organized team activities and even leaving the door open for him to potentially miss the June minicamp, if it ultimately comes to that. So long as Rodgers isn’t signed, there is no room for questions about why he’s signed but not in the building, or a running timeline of when he is going to show up.

It also eliminates Pittsburgh getting pulled into any of the side stories that often follow Rodgers — the most recent being speculation about his Kentucky Derby attendance Saturday, which appeared to reveal a ring on Rodgers’ left hand wedding-band finger. The development set off social media and immediately summoned theories that part of the reason Rodgers is taking his time marrying the Steelers this offseason is because he’s been busy marrying someone else first. There’s no actual proof of that, of course. It’s entirely possible he got married this offseason … entirely possible it’s nothing at all … and entirely possible that Rodgers is just trolling the media that watches him so closely. Whatever it is, the Steelers aren’t subject to being part of any of it, because he’s still nothing more than an unsigned player.

With that in mind, Pittsburgh moves forward with three of its four quarterbacks — Howard, Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson — and one extremely large open seat for whenever Rodgers is ready to return to football. That could be prior to the full-squad minicamp or even prior to training camp in July. While there is no deadline, it’s worth noting that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has at least expressed some level of ideology when it comes to getting everyone in place.

“In general,” Tomlin said, “When you report to training camp, that’s a line of demarcation for development of a group individually and collectively.”

Translated? It would be best if the entire team and the starting quarterback were together by training camp.

Realistically, Rodgers sidelining himself from football all the way to late July would be a surprise, given that he knows the risks of walking into a completely new environment at the last possible moment. Not just from a chemistry standpoint with teammates, but also logically with just getting reps down in a June introduction to the rest of the team, before a break and then resumption of work when training camp kicks off.

For now, smart money has Rodgers and the Steelers getting something done just before the June full-squad minicamp. If that doesn’t happen, and there remains a possibility that he does the unthinkable and unceremoniously retires before training camp kicks off, Pittsburgh still has a Kirk Cousins trade in its back pocket — with the Atlanta Falcons quarterback now having no other realistic starting destination across the league beyond the Steelers.

That’s still a break-the-glass scenario the Steelers don’t really think is going to happen. Instead, the franchise is telegraphing a signing of Rodgers at every turn. First by keeping a seat open in the quarterback room, and second by conducting itself in the draft like a team that’s going all-in on a win-now veteran quarterback named Aaron Rodgers.

Consider:

With a severe need at quarterback and some options available on the board at the 21st overall pick in the draft, Pittsburgh went with an immediate plug-and-play defensive tackle in Oregon’s Derrick Harmon. It's the kind of move you make when you feel like you have a starting QB in the fold who will prioritize immediate production over any developmental or young quarterback talent.
The Steelers lacked a second-round pick because it was sent to the Seattle Seahawks for wideout DK Metcalf, who was immediately signed to a four-year, $132 million extension. It's not the kind of move a team makes when it has no idea who the 2025 starting quarterback is going to be. We should also note here that Metcalf and Rodgers have already worked out together this offseason in Los Angeles.
The Steelers' third-round pick: A scheme-specific low-ceiling/high-floor running back in Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson, who can step in on Day 1 and carry a full load in offensive coordinator Arthur Smith’s scheme. Johnson's viability is likely tied to how long Smith is the offensive coordinator. This is the quintessential move that’s meant for production immediately.
The fourth round: Another low-ceiling/high-floor pick in Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer, who started his last 29 college games for the Buckeyes and comes in with the ability to instantly be a rotational piece on the defensive line. With other “upside” developmental swings available, the Steelers went with a player who can help the team immediately and contribute to a win-now environment.

All of these moves were capped by the Howard pick in the sixth round, which represents a stab at a backup quarterback who will never be mistaken by the media or fan base as someone Rodgers should be looking over his shoulder for. No Jalen Milroe in the third round, despite him having enticing skills and athletic profile at Alabama and the film against Southeastern Conference competition that Khan has a history of coveting. No Quinn Ewers, in spite of 35 starts against some of the highest level competition at the college level. And no Shedeur Sanders, who would have brought a spotlight equal to the one that follows Rodgers.

In a way, this all feels familiar. Trace a finger down all of the additions the New York Jets made in the offseason the franchise went all-in on Rodgers. Look at what New York did prior to the Rodgers trade and then afterward. You will see both coaching and roster additions meant to do two things: Keep Rodgers happy and secure in his starting spot, and win immediately in what was expected to be a small window of opportunity.

That’s what the Steelers are doing right now. They’re a team that doesn’t have Rodgers under contract, but they’re conducting their moves like his signing is an inevitability. Maybe the signing comes in days or weeks. Maybe it comes in July. Whenever it happens, it’s coming.

Aaron Rodgers is going to be the Steelers’ quarterback in the coming weeks or months. Every move Pittsburgh makes — or doesn’t make — screams it. And if he isn’t, the pursuit of him will have crippled yet another franchise that leveraged itself reaching for a fading star.

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