The Pittsburgh Steelers tried to retain Justin Fields and court Matthew Stafford to the East Coast before committing to Aaron Rodgers as the team’s next starting quarterback.
Rodgers being the Steelers third choice for 2025 was revealed after the 41-year-old ended his months-long NFL exile and signed with Pittsburgh last week.
Fields opted to take Rodgers’ old spot and start for the New York Jets under new head coach Aaron Glenn. Stafford appeared briefly on the trade block before the Los Angeles Rams made sure he wanted to stay in Hollywood.
The Steelers’ process to land on Rodgers had the four-time MVP as their primary target was in place for months, as the other duo committed away from the Steel City in March, per ESPN.
Rodgers only signed a 1-year contract with the team, due to his age, meaning the long-term answer at quarterback for Pittsburgh is likely still not on the team’s roster.
For this year, the Rodgers’ show comes to Pittsburgh, with plenty of competition from the rest of the AFC.
Aaron Rodgers was the third choice for the Pittsburgh Steelers at quarterback for 2025
The team wanted to retain Justin Fields before he signed with the New York Jets in March
The Steelers also inquired into Matthew Stafford while he was briefly on the trade block
Rodgers is likely inserted as the Steelers No 1 quarterback for the season, with any talk of a competition with Mason Rudolph or Will Howard holding zero weight, as neither have had NFL success.
Last month, the momentum behind Rudolph being the starter as at an all-time high after he appeared at a rally for President Donald Trump.
Rudolph, alongside safety Miles Killebrew, and four-time Super Bowl champion Rocky Bleier, gave Trump a personalized Steelers jersey.
Trump also gave his two cents on Pittsburgh’s quarterback situation, endorsing Rudolph.
‘I happen to think a really good quarterback is a man named Mason Rudolph,’ Trump said. ‘I think he’s gonna get a big shot. He’s tall, he’s handsome, he’s got a great arm. And I have a feeling he’s gonna be the guy.’
