The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the market for a quarterback for some time now. Ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired and bid adieu to the Steelers, the QB room has never been the same. The storied franchise relied on 5 QBs, and none have provided what Ben delivered. Pickett was traded to Philadelphia, Mason Rudolph had never been more than a reliable backup, and Russell Wilson’s age limited him greatly. So, guess what the Steelers are going to do now to satisfy their QB needs?

They are after another 41-year-old QB, Aaron Rodgers. The situation is ironic, harsh, and even detrimental if the fans are to be believed. Building your team around Rodgers, who we already knew didn’t quite live up to expectations at the New York Jets, may not be beneficial for the franchise. But even then, the Steelers are more than willing to sign Rodgers. But Rodgers isn’t too hurried to make that decision. NFL expert Mike Florio even openly advised the Steelers not to sign Rodgers.

“Previously, my stance on Aaron Rodgers was simple: one, the Vikings should say no; and two, the Steelers should say yes. I’ve revised my opinion, the Steelers should walk away. Aaron Rodgers is not currently good enough to justify the Aaron Rodgers Experience.” But now comes the major turn in all of this ongoing drama.

Now, according to the prominent journalist Tom Pelissero, after almost a month of drama between Rodgers and the Steelers, the situation might be leading to a conclusion. The Steelers are now willing to let Rodgers go for now and make an independent decision in the NFL draft on 24th April. But the player they are going to draft isn’t a QB. “(Steelers) going to roll with Mason Rudolph, maybe draft somebody later in the draft, and then see if Aaron’s still hanging around come summer.” This comes as a blow for Jaxson Dart.

Earlier, there was widespread speculation that the Steelers would go with Jaxson Dart with their 21st pick in the first round. However, now that the Steelers are not budging down from pursuing Rodgers, they will likely not draft a quarterback in the first round. They are now considering a different option, such as Will Campbell (OT), which is understandable since they have glaring offensive tackle needs, with the right tackle position being a persistent weak spot. This will be a tough pill to swallow for Dart.

More woes for Jaxson Dart?

The Steelers have been pursuing the former Ole Miss QB for some time now. They even hosted the quarterback at their sports complex on 4th April and also had a formal interview with the player at the NFL Scouting Combine. Andy Weidl, Steelers assistant GM, attended Dart’s pro day, where he performed quite well. Dart, who has accumulated 10,167 yards in his college career, was even selected by ESPN’s Field Yates in his mock draft.

“The streets are definitely talking about the potential for a third quarterback going in round one, and that quarterback being Jaxson Dart. I believe, fundamentally, the Steelers must; they owe it to themselves,” Yates said. “They owe it to Mike T[omlin]. They owe it to T.J. Watt and Cam Heyward, and all their great defensive players, to swing at a quarterback. I’m going to take a risk on Jaxson Dart“. The Steelers’ move will surely hurt the QB now, but Jaxson Dart probably knows that and here’s why.

In a recent list released by the NFL of the first-round attendees, Jaxson Dart’s name isn’t there. This points to the widely circulated opinion that teams are favoring Milroe over Dart and Shedeur Sanders (the Buffs QB will also not attend). However, with just 5 days to go till the actual draft rolls in, we can now wait and watch how things unfold.