The Aaron Rodgers waiting game continues.
While the four-time NFL MVP has long been pursued by the Pittsburgh Steelers, no deal has been made official just yet.
It’s widely expected that Rodgers will land in the Steel City ahead of the 2025 season, and even team president Art Rooney II has publicly expressed his hopes.
But the surprise retirement of a fellow quarterback over the weekend might just throw a spanner in the works.
Derek Carr has announced his decision to step away from football, citing ongoing injury issues that would have jeopardized the upcoming New Orleans Saints campaign before it had even began.
The 34-year-old’s retirement clears $30million from the team’s payroll, which could open them up to signing an expensive replacement, like Rodgers.
Days ago, the only realistic landing spot for the Super Bowl XLV champion was Pittsburgh.
Now, he has a second option in New Orleans.
And according to CBS Sports writer Cody Benjamin, the Saints could be a better fit in the Rodgers sweepstakes than the Steelers.
“Here’s the greatest rub, for both Rodgers and the Saints: Unlike the Steelers, the Saints do not play in the AFC North, which includes a pair of justified Super Bowl aspirants in the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals,” Benjamin wrote.
“They play in the NFC South, which over the last three seasons has crowned a champion with these final records: 8-9, 9-8, 10-7.
“Yes, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been scrappy, but this isn’t exactly the league’s treasure trove of powerhouses.
“In fact, the NFC South’s combined record over the last half-decade or so easily puts it among the NFL’s worst quartets.”
Benjamin went on to suggest that a veteran Rodgers would likely prefer the chance of winning in the NFC and securing a home playoff game over scrapping with the likes of league-leading quarterbacks Joe Burrow and Lamar Jackson.
His column continued: “If you’re Rodgers, at 41 years old, admittedly on your last NFL legs, hesitant about signing up for the one-and-done Steelers show, that should scream ‘potentially better opportunity.’
“Maybe it’s not a slam dunk.
“But the idea of outlasting the Buccaneers, Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers for the chance at a home playoff game sure sounds just as, if not more, enticing than wearing the black and gold just to go toe to toe with Burrow, Jackson etc.”
While Benjamin’s suggestion is interesting, it’s worth remembering that heading into the 2025 season, Pittsburgh are in much better shape, besides at quarterback, than New Orleans.
Despite going up against the likes of the Ravens and Bengals, the team did make the playoffs last year. The Saints did not, finishing bottom of the NFC South.
The Steelers also appeared to build last month’s draft strategy around an incoming quarterback, opting against picking a high-profile rookie signal caller to re-establish what Mike Tomlin described as ‘physicality and big man presence’.
Still, there will be plenty to mull for veteran Rodgers.
While all signs have pointed to Pittsburgh, he has left the door open for New Orleans to make a solid run.
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