Aaron Rodgers will no longer be the New York Jets’ problem soon. So where will he take his services next?
There aren’t many obvious answers to that question, but the betting markets (via DraftKings) have a favorite: the Pittsburgh Steelers (+200). And one Steelers player isn’t having it.
Safety DeShon Elliott had this to say on Instagram about the potential for Rodgers to be his team’s new quarterback in 2025.
“Leave his a** at the retirement home,” Elliott wrote.
The link between Rodgers and Pittsburgh is somewhat understandable. The Steelers will reportedly move on from Russell Wilson this offseason and do not have a clear replacement available. Given their back-to-back playoff appearances, they may bet that Rodgers can still play at a high level and attempt to bring him in.
Still, the fit with Mike Tomlin is difficult to imagine. Tomlin is a no-nonsense coach, and the Steelers’ organization has its way of doing things. Although Tomlin put up with antics from Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, the organization ultimately shipped those players out. The same happened with Diontae Johnson. Rodgers may not be a diva in the same sense, but he comes along with plenty of drama.
After Pittsburgh, the rest of the odds for Rodgers include the Raiders (+300), 49ers (+350), Vikings (+400), Titans (+750), Colts (+850), Rams (+1000), and Giants (+1200). So, essentially, the markets list every team that could be looking for a quarterback in some arbitrary order. Given this list, it makes sense that Pittsburgh would be the favorite.
Of the remaining teams, the one most likely to want Rodgers, at least from my perspective, is the Raiders — and that doesn’t really make sense. The Raiders’ roster is mostly barren and certainly not the kind of environment Rodgers would be looking for. However, if it’s his only choice, he may opt to go to Las Vegas rather than retire.
The 49ers have no incentive to bring in Rodgers for many different reasons, the least of which is that Rodgers does not represent an upgrade to Brock Purdy by any reasonable estimation, to put it mildly. (There is also the fact that 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan seemingly abhors quarterbacks who deviate from his system.)
The Vikings are all-in on J.J. McCarthy, as they were very excited about him and fully prepared to hand him the starting quarterback job last offseason. They may choose to keep Sam Darnold, but it is difficult to imagine a roster like this going for broke on an aging quarterback rather than taking advantage of the cheap years of McCarthy’s contract.
I would have imagined that the Titans would draft a quarterback given that they have the No. 1 overall pick. However, there is significant talk that they could trade out of the No. 1 slot, which would indicate they don’t believe in any of the quarterbacks. In that case, could they bring in Rodgers? Sure, but their situation on offense isn’t significantly better than the Raiders’ (and their pass-blocking is currently worse).
I suppose I could see the Colts going that route if they choose to move on from Anthony Richardson and want to continue their post-Andrew Luck carousel of aging one-year quarterback stopgaps (Carson Wentz, Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan).
As for the Rams, why would they move on from one aging quarterback to another? They’re probably the most attractive destination for Rodgers, though.
At least one Steelers player wants no part of Rodgers. You have to wonder how many other players, coaches, and owners will feel the same way. It’s certainly a far cry from the excitement permeating the Jets players and fans when Rodgers arrived in 2023.
