For months, Pittsburgh operated as if it had an ace tucked up its sleeve. Mike Tomlin and Omar Khan passed on quarterback after quarterback in the early rounds of the draft, watching as players like Shedeur Sanders came and went without blinking. Instead, they built out the physical spine of the roster — linemen, defenders, backs — as if confident that the most crucial piece would arrive by other means.

In the 6th round, the Steelers finally went for a QB and drafted Will Howard. He lines up a QB room that already has Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. But that still leaves one spot free in Mike Tomlin’s ‘4-QB plan’. And with Tomlin and the other bigwigs’ comments to the public, all signs pointed to Aaron Rodgers. And for a time, Rodgers seemed to point back.

Steelers president and owner Art Rooney II has told the Steelers Nation Radio, “We’re still kind of getting the same signals that we’ve been getting recently. – He does want to come here, so I do think we may get word soon.”

But how soon is soon? Before the drafts began, NFL insider James Palmer said the Steelers have put a deadline, “The draft week is potentially, in a lot of people’s minds, a deadline for Aaron Rodgers.” But the drafts have come and gone, with the Steelers leaving one room open. A day before Will Howard’s signing, Rooney had said, “We did not factor in whether Aaron is coming or not into that – If we do draft a quarterback – it’s probably not going to be somebody who is going to start for us this year. It’s going to be somebody who is developing and may play down the road.”

So, Will Howard has to work his way up to becoming a signal caller for the Steelers. They’re looking at Howard as a long-term solution. In the meantime, when Mike Tomlin was asked about Rodgers by Rich Eisen, he said, “That’s certainly a possibility – I’m not going to forecast the ifs and whens regarding not only him but any other potential free agent. We’ve had really productive talks with him, and I’ve enjoyed having productive talks with him and getting to know him.”

It’s really a yes-or-no question. If the guy isn’t giving you a clear answer (after following up with him for months), it might be safer to look for other people to fill the spot. Mike Tomlin’s message suggests he’s hopeful, but if you take a closer look, there might be another layer to all of this.

As Mike Tomlin says, “not only him but any other potential free agent.” It makes us think if Rodgers is the only one Tomlin is waiting for. Before the draft storm hit us, there was indeed another quite familiar name that was making rounds in connection with the Steelers’ QB conundrum. Kirk Cousins.

Kirk Cousins for the Steelers?

It’s interesting to note that Aaron Rodgers’ dilemma for the Steelers might stem from Kirk Cousins’ treatment. He has notably said in a presser, “There’s ebbs and flows in the year. There’s not a lot of patience in this league. – Kirk’s played at a high level for a long, long time. So, any time there’s a change, that’s got to be hard. So, my heart goes out to him”. Context? The Atlanta Falcons are going all-in with Michael Penix Jr. right now, and Cousins is boiling down to be nothing more than an expensive backup.

As per Dianna Russini, there may be hope for Kirk Cousins with the Steelers. Before the drafts, Dianna wrote, “The Browns, Steelers, and possibly Vikings could be involved in a Cousins trade. – It’s believed that Cousins would be against any trade that involves sending him to a situation involving a young QB, similar to the situation he faced in Atlanta last year.” The Steelers do have a young QB now, but he needs to be developed, so Kirk might change his mind if the offer comes along.

But it’s more complex than that. Falcons have asked any acquiring team to pay $20M of Kirk’s $45M guaranteed payout. According to Adam Schefter, “There is a feeling around the league that a team, whether it is the Vikings or Steelers, might be willing to pay down roughly $10 million.” The question remains, will they pay, especially after the drafts?

Kirk Cousins is making every moment count right now. He even showed up at the Falcons’ voluntary workouts recently. Whether as a willing backup QB or to audition for the world, that remains to be seen. If the Steelers draft him, he could add serious talent to the team. However, if they go with Rodgers, it will be more like a one-year deal at best. The rumor mills are hard at work, and we’re not gonna miss a single second of it. Stay tuned, folks – we should soon know the Steelers’ decision between Aaron Rodgers and Kirk Cousins.