The Pittsburgh Steelers turned heads when they traded away wide receiver George Pickens on May 7, raising concern that the team’s pursuit of quarterback Aaron Rodgers may have hit a major speed bump.
But an insider revealed that the Steelers are likely still moving forward with their pursuit of Rodgers, which would have been unchanged by the long-rumored trade. The Steelers already brought in another big target this offseason, with reports that the team is still hopeful that Rodgers will eventually sign there.
Aaron Rodgers Still Waiting in the Wings
The Steelers shipped Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys on Wednesday, getting a third-round pick and swapping a sixth-round pick for a fifth rounder. Though the Steelers lose a major part of their offense and a consistent contributor who recorded at least 50 receptions and 800 yards in each of his three seasons, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette insider Gerry Dulac believes it won’t deter Rodgers from signing.
“From their end, it doesn’t have any impact at all on whether [Rodgers] signs with the team,” Dulac said in an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show.
Dulac added that Rodgers and Pickens may have been a poor fit anyway.
“Aaron Rodgers didn’t get to where he is as a future Hall of Famer by being an undisciplined, fly by the seat of your pants quarterback, which is kind of the description you can apply to George Pickens,” Dulac said, adding, “I don’t know that it would have been a good mix here anyhow.”
Steelers Made Another Big Move on Offense
The Steelers already have another receiver who can help pick up the slack, trading for DK Metcalf earlier this offseason. As NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport noted, Rodgers has already gotten close to Metcalf and may have had advanced notice that the Steelers were planning to unload Pickens.
“There have been rumors of George Pickens being traded for weeks, and potential #Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers has been throwing with DK Metcalf, not Pickens. Hard to imagine it was a surprise to Rodgers,” Rapoport shared in a post on X.
The Steelers could also be planning another move that could pave the way for Rodgers to sign. Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio reported on Wednesday that the team is considering signing wide receiver Allen Lazard, Rodgers’ close friend and former teammate on the Green Bay Packers.
“Why Lazard? Because Rodgers completely and totally trusts him,” Florio wrote. “And Lazard, for whatever reason, performs much better with Rodgers than he does without him. (At one point during his first year in New York, during Rodgersâs season-long injury absence, Lazard became a healthy scratch.)”
Rodgers has not given any indication exactly when he could make his decision, though his options have been whittled down considerably as other potential suitors landed quarterbacks. The Steelers have no clear direction without Rodgers, bringing back veteran Mason Rudolph but likely not planning for him to become their Week 1 starter.
Rodgers is coming off a shaky two-year tenure with the New York Jets, having missed his first season with a torn Achilles and suffering through inconsistent play in the second. He was released in March.
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