Steelers could craft contingency plan for QB room if Aaron Rodgers fails to sign, per report

Time is of the essence ahead of the 2025 season, and the Steelers could move to Plan B

While the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to patiently wait on Aaron Rodgers and his free agency decision ahead of the 2025 season, there's a plan in place if the franchise fails to land the four-time NFL MVP. According to Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac of the Post Gazette, Pittsburgh will move forward and sign another veteran player at the position to bolster their room.

"I believe and have been told that if it's not Aaron Rodgers, that we'll find a veteran quarterback to back up Mason Rudolph," Dulac said Monday during a radio appearance on 102.5 DVE.

Pickings are slim at the position given how long the Steelers have waited on Rodgers with the expectation he will sign. And while Rodgers still may do so as the team's expected starter, a number of potential fits in Pittsburgh have already landed elsewhere. 

Rudolph said last week he's not concerning himself with outside "noise." Instead, Rudolph is back for his second stint with the franchise and using OTAs for extra reps at the position alongside rookie Will Howard and fellow offseason signing Skylar Thompson.

"That's nothing new to me," Rudolph said. "There's been constant noise -- that is the nature of the NFL, so I have been used to that for a long time now. I do nothing but be the best I can be and help our team get better this spring."

The Steelers know what they have in Rudolph, albeit limited. He spent the first six seasons of his NFL career behind Ben Roethlisberger, going 8-4-1 during his tenure over 13 starts.

Before the NFL Draft, Rodgers reportedly told the Steelers to go ahead and "move on" if they weren't willing to wait on his decision. Approaching training camp next month, there appears to have been no further communication between the parties outside of Rodgers saying he has spoken to Mike Tomlin several times this offseason and has a good relationship with the Steelers' veteran coach.

As CBS Sports' Cody Benjamin pointed out this week, it's unusual for Pittsburgh to be caught in the middle of this signing charade with Rodgers, but not necessarily surprising. The Steelers have gone eight seasons without a playoff win, the eighth-longest stretch in the NFL. Since Roethlisberger's departure, Pittsburgh has largely struggled finding the right fit at quarterback with varying levels of success with Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, Justin Fields, and most recently Russell Wilson last season. 

Who could that veteran QB be?

The Steelers have been linked to a "contingency plan" of sorts involving Atlanta's Kirk Cousins in a potential trade scenario that would need to work for both sides. ESPN's Jeremy Fowler reported Cousins was on Pittsburgh's "radar," and the Falcons have already spoken to other franchises about a potential trade. Cousins, 36, lost his job last season to rookie Michael Penix Jr., and the Falcons are moving forward with the former first-round pick in 2025. Cousins would certainly fit what the Steelers are looking for as a veteran back up, but Pittsburgh would need to be willing to eat part of a sizable salary.

Other quarterbacks still available on the free agent market include Ryan Tannehill, Carson Wentz, Tyler Huntley and Desmond Ridder, among others. Wentz backed up Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City last season while Tannehill did not play in 2024. Huntley, 27, went 2-3 as a spot starter in Miami. Ridder, a third-round pick in 2022, was cut by Arizona before landing with the Las Vegas Raiders last fall.