Steelers Reportedly Possible Landing Spot For Four-Time Pro Bowl QB

The NFL draft is just days away and the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback situation for next season is still firmly up in the air.

Aaron Rodgers could be the starting signal-caller for the Steelers next season, but he’s dragging his feet on a free-agent decision. Pittsburgh could also draft a quarterback and hand the keys to the offense over to the rookie. If the Steelers really wanted to roll the dice, they could give the starting nod to career backup Mason Rudolph.

But there might be another option on the table for the Steelers and it comes in the form of trading for four-time Pro Bowl quarterback Kirk Cousins. It just would have to come at the right price.

“Publicly, the Falcons have said they’re not interested in trading quarterback Kirk Cousins but that they’d entertain offers if the right deal was on the table,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter wrote in a story published Monday. “Privately, they have had discussions with teams — and have asked for a lot in return, per sources. Atlanta has asked for any acquiring team to pay $20 million of the $45 million worth of guarantees left on Cousins’ contract. To date, no has been willing to do that, and no team is expected to be willing to. But what happens this weekend — and which franchises come out of the draft with or without rookie quarterbacks — could influence how much guaranteed money a team might be willing to absorb on Cousins’’contract.

“There is a feeling around the league that a team, whether it is the Vikings or Steelers, might be willing to pay down roughly $10 million. How much any team would be willing to pay also would influence the compensation it gives up. The higher the payment, the lower the draft compensation; the lower the payment, the higher the draft compensation.”

The Steelers trading for Cousins would be a risky move — and that’s putting it lightly. The 36-year-old looked like a shell of himself last season with the Atlanta Falcons after coming off a torn Achilles. He completed 66.9% of his passes for 3,508 yards with 18 touchdowns and 16 interceptions before getting benched for Michael Penix.

Despite all the concerns, the Steelers could talk themselves into trading for Cousins. But it certainly doesn’t feel like their top option as they continue to wait on Rodgers.