Ex-Steelers Coach Envisions Pittsburgh ‘Dialogue’ Regarding Aaron Rodgers

The Pittsburgh Steelers need a quarterback, and while Russell Wilson and Justin Fields are the presumed leading candidates for next season, the franchise might also look into Aaron Rodgers.

Wilson and Fields split starting quarterback duties under head coach Mike Tomlin last season, and while it generated short-lived flashes during the regular season, Pittsburgh fell short. The Steelers entered the playoffs on a four-game losing streak and got bounced in the AFC wild-card round by the Baltimore Ravens, logging the organization’s sixth consecutive postseason defeat. That’s a tough pill to swallow entering the offseason and former Steelers Hall of Fame head coach Bill Cowher senses the front office could consider an outside-the-box idea of welcoming Rodgers aboard next season.

“I think there’s going to be a sense of urgency, taking some guys on the back end of their careers. T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward. They’re in the latter stages of their careers. So they want to win now,” Cowherd recently said on “The Dan Patrick Show.”. “That’s a big part of what they want to do, but you’ve also got to have a plan moving forward and at that position. There will be dialogue there, but those will be conversations taking place in that building.”

Rodgers spent the past two seasons with the New York Jets, recording the most disappointing two-year span of his career. The 41-year-old, coming off a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 1 two seasons ago, led New York to a 5-12 campaign this past season. The Jets finished second-to-last in the AFC East, only ahead of the 4-13 New England Patriots, and went 3-9 after parting ways with former head coach Robert Saleh.

Year 2 of Rodgers in The Big Apple quickly turned from an unappealing setback into an unbearable nightmare.

Still, Cowher isn’t counting out Rodgers’ willingness to get back on the field and compete, even though it won’t be in New York.

“I think he wants to play. I think there’s going to be a place for him, somewhere,” Cowherd said. “Aaron’s gonna go to his dark place. He’s going to come out. I don’t know. You never know where Aaron’s coming from. But I think if he puts his mind to it, he can still throw it. I think that he can still move around fine. Again, it’s got to be the right place for him and the right situation. I just don’t think he’s going to want to feel like he got run out this year from the New York Jets. I just don’t think he wants to go out on that note. So I’m going to say — somewhere — he’s going to land.”

Rodgers finished his 20th NFL season recording 3,897 yards with 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, which ranked the four-time league MVP eighth in passing yards among all quarterbacks last season.

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