Steelers signed Aaron Rodgers after failing on two other QB options, per report

Aaron Rodgers has officially signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he wasn’t the first option — or second — according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The four-time NFL MVP and former Super Bowl champion is on a one-year deal after ending his free agency.

And while Rodgers was the best “available” choice according to Schefter, owner Art Rooney II and the Steelers had to go with the hand they were dealt.

“This was the third option for the Pittsburgh Steelers,” Schefter said Friday on NFL Live. “They were in on Matthew Stafford and couldn’t get done a trade. They tried to re-sign Justin Fields, he opted to go to the New York Jets, where he will meet Rodgers on opening day. And after they couldn’t get a trade done for Stafford and couldn’t get Fields re-signed, they pivoted to Rodgers.”

Stafford was at the heart of trade speculation with the Steelers in February, but salary demands were too much. Stafford eventually turned down $100 million offers from the Giants and Raiders to remain with the Rams, pushing the Steelers to try and keep Fields.

For Los Angeles, keeping Stafford in tow was a no-brainer.

“We have a chance with him every time he’s at the switch, and [I] love working with him,” McVay told “Mad Dog Sports Radio” during the negotiations process. “And I think he can play as long as he wants, but fortunately, I’m hoping it’s a couple more years. … I think he came out of this season feeling really good physically.”

Fields signed a two-year, $40 million deal in New York and the Steelers lost their potential starter for 2025. Fields went 4-2 last season as Pittsburgh’s starter and the Steelers averaged 20.7 points per game over the first six weeks of the 2024 season before coach Mike Tomlin opted to give his starting quarterback job to Russell Wilson after he recovered from a preseason injury. 

Rodgers spent the last two seasons with Jets with subpar results before coming to terms with the Steelers. Pittsburgh hopes Rodgers brings some momentum back to an offense that has failed to show in the postseason in recent years. The Steelers haven’t won a playoff game since the 2016 season, much of that do to struggling to find a difference-maker at the position since Ben Roethlisberger‘s retirement a few years ago.