Steelers eyed two other quarterbacks before opting to sign Aaron Rodgers, plus Jaire Alexander landing spots

Let me start off here by saying that no, you are not crazy. If you read Friday’s newsletter, you may have noticed that we did a “five things to know” about Rodgers signing with the Steelers, but now that the signing is official, we have five NEW things to know, so now you’ll know 10 things. 

Here are the new things you need to know from the weekend: 

1. Rodgers was the Steelers’ third option at QB. The only reason Rodgers is in Pittsburgh is because the Steelers got stuck with him. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the Steelers originally wanted Justin Fields to return for another season. After he made the decision to go to New York, the team then targeted a possible trade for Matthew Stafford, but the Rams QB decided to stay in Los Angeles, which paved the pay for Rodgers to land in Pittsburgh.
2. Financial terms of Rodgers’ deal. Back in April, the four-time MVP said he’d play this year for $10 million and he signed a deal for right around that number. Rodgers’ one-year deal is worth $13.65 million and it includes $10 million in guaranteed money. Rodgers, who will be the 19th highest-paid starting QB in the NFL this year, can make up to $19.5 million if he hits every incentive.
3. Rodgers now has a number in Pittsburgh. The Steelers’ new quarterback will be wearing No. 8 this year. Rodgers wore No. 12 during his 18 seasons in Green Bay, but that number is unofficially retired for Terry Bradshaw, so Rodgers is going with the number that he wore during his college career at Cal. Rodgers also wore the number during his two seasons with the Jets. 
4. Rodgers to meet with the media on Tuesday. The Steelers will be kicking off mandatory minicamp on Tuesday and not only will Rodgers be there, but he’ll be meeting with the media for the first time as a member of the Steelers.
5. Jordan Love is excited to face Rodgers. When the Packers travel to Pittsburgh in Week 8, it won’t just be Rodgers facing his old team, it will also give Love a crack at his former mentor, which is something that he’s excited about. “It’s going to be fun,” Love told Chanel3000’s Jason Wilde. “It’s going to be awesome. I’m excited for it. I can’t wait to be on different sides meeting up. I know we’ll talk pregame, things like that, and then hopefully we can exchange jerseys after.”

Now that Rodgers is officially under contract, the circus in Pittsburgh will be starting on Tuesday when the Steelers open up mandatory minicamp.  

2. Packers to cut Jaire Alexander: Possible landing spots for the two-time Pro Bowler

After seven seasons in Green Bay, the Packers have decided to cut ties with Jaire Alexander. The cornerback was on the trading block for a good chunk of the offseason, but the Packers couldn’t find any takers, so they decided Monday to release him.

Although he’s missed 20 games due to injuries over the past two seasons, he’s only 28 and a two-time Pro Bowler at a coveted positioned, so he likely won’t be available for long. With that in mind, Jared Dubin decided to take a look at a few landing spots.

• Dolphins. “The Dolphins are trying to find a home for their own unhappy cornerback in Jalen Ramsey at the moment, but that doesn’t mean they shouldn’t be interested in Alexander now that he’s available. The secondary is already an issue for Miami’s defense, and it will be even more of one if the Dolphins are able to come to an agreement on a Ramsey deal.”
• 49ers. “The Niners lost Charvarius Ward in free agency this offseason, and currently seem likely to start either journeyman Tre Brown or third-round pick Upton Stout opposite Deommodore Lenoir at one of their corner spots. Bringing in another veteran — even one with injury issues — is an idea that has some merit, especially considering how much cap room the 49ers have on their hands.”
• Eagles. “Philly is always aggressive in going after high-level talent, and Alexander fits the bill. He does even more so because the Eagles allowed both Darius Slay and Isaiah Rodgers to leave for greener pastures in free agency this offseason”

Dubin came up with several more potential options for Alexander, and you can see those here. One thing to keep in mind with Alexander is that his release likely won’t become official until 4 p.m. ET today (or even 4 p.m. on Tuesday if the move isn’t processed until tomorrow), which means the Packers could still technically trade him, but the more likely scenario is that he gets officially released in the next 24 hours. 

 With Alexander now set to hit free agency, there are quite a few good players still available on the open market, and we’ve got a full list of players here. 

3. Under-the-radar NFC players who can be stars in 2025

In Friday’s newsletter, we took a look at several under-the-radar players in the AFC who could become stars in 2025, so now, we’re going to do the same thing today, but in the NFC.

Garrett Podell came up with a list of 16 players — one for each team — and we’re going to check out four guys who made the cut on his list: 

• Falcons: EDGE Leonard Floyd. “The Falcons desperately need help rushing the passer. Floyd, who signed with Atlanta on a one-year, $10 million deal in free agency, could make a massive difference both on and off the field. He is one of four players with at least eight sacks in every season of the 2020s. … The Falcons haven’t had a player hit double-digit sacks in a season since Vic Beasley in 2016, the longest active drought in the NFL, but Floyd could potentially be the one to break that dry spell.”
• Bears: Center Drew Dalman. “The Bears stole Drew Dalman from the Atlanta Falcons on a three-year, $42 million deal in free agency. Pro Football Focus assigned him the fourth-highest offensive grade (78.8) in the NFL among centers last season. His presence along the Chicago Bears offensive line could make a massive difference for Williams in 2025.”
• Giants: WR Jalin Hyatt. “Things could be different for Hyatt in Year 3, though, with the Giants moving on from Daniel Jones and bringing in three quarterbacks who love to throw deep: 10-time Pro Bowler Russell Wilson, one-time Pro Bowl quarterback Jameis Winston and 2025 25th overall pick Jaxson Dart, who led college football in yards per pass attempt (10.8) in 2024. Yes, OTAs are noncontact, but Hyatt appears to be building a nice early rapport with Wilson, who is slated to begin 2025 as the Giants starting quarterback.”
• Rams: OG Steve Avila “Avila looked like he was on the path toward stardom after a stellar rookie year: He was named to the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie team. However, his 2024 campaign got derailed by an MCL injury in Week 1 that caused him to miss seven games. With another healthy season working under coach Sean McVay, Avila could return toward reaching his Pro Bowl trajectory.”

If you want to see the full list of under-the-radar players in the NFC, then be sure to click here.  

4. Every NFL team’s most notable offseason loss

During the NFL offseason, every team’s goal is to get better, but we’re going to totally ignore that right now and only talk about how each team got worse. Jared Dubin went through all 32 NFL teams and came up with one notable personnel loss that each team suffered this offseason. 

Let’s take a look at 10 of the notable losses that made Jared’s list: 

Eagles: DL Milton Williams
Lions: OC Ben Johnson/DC Aaron Glenn
Vikings: QB Sam Darnold
Seahawks: WR DK Metcalf
Rams: WR Cooper Kupp
Dolphins: OL Terron Armstead (retired)
Steelers: WR George Pickens
Colts: OL Will Fries/OL Ryan Kelly
Chiefs: OL Joe Thuney
Chargers: OLB Joey Bosa

If you want to check out the most notable loss for each team, we’ve got that here.  

5. One burning question for every team in the NFC West

Over the past few days, we’ve started the process of going through each division to look at the biggest question for each team heading into the upcoming season. Today, we’re going to cover the NFC West.

Here’s one burning question that Jared Dubin came up with for each team. 

• Cardinals: Can Marvin Harrison Jr. take a leap in Year 2? “The top receiving prospect in last year’s draft had a rookie season that didn’t necessarily go as expected. Marvin Harrison Jr. had a significant role in the Arizona offense with 116 targets, but he ended the year with only a 53.4% catch rate, hauling in 62 balls for 885 yards and eight scores. … The Cards will be betting on a big bounce back in efficiency from the second-year wideout. If he can’t provide that bounce, it could hold back a passing game that needs to be better than it was a year ago.”
• Rams: What will Davante Adams bring to the table? “Despite playing just 14 games in a pair of decrepit offenses last season, Adams still ended the year with 85 catches for 1,063 yards and eight touchdowns. Catching passes from Matthew Stafford should bring out the best in him, and we’ve seen that whenever Stafford has a pair of high-level wideouts on hand, the Los Angeles offense is capable of reaching special heights.”
• 49ers: How will the new pieces on defense come together? “The Niners also just have an absolute ton of new players on that side of the ball. Stalwarts like Dre Greenlaw, Talanoa Hufanga and Charvarius Ward all moved on in free agency, and the Niners added players like Tre Brown, Richie Grant and Jason Pinnock in free agency, Bryce Huff via trade, and Mykel Williams, Alfred Collins, Nick Martin and CJ West in the draft. … It could take some time for the defense to come together, and with an early season schedule that includes three division games in the first five weeks, that could make things pretty interesting.”
• Seahawks: What will the Sam Darnold experience look like? “Darnold will be playing in a similar offensive system to the one he was in under Kevin O’Connell in Minnesota now that Klint Kubiak has taken over as the offensive coordinator in Seattle, but he won’t have the same type of infrastructure he was afforded with the Vikings. He has Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but not a duo like Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison — and the Seahawks’ clear weaknesses along the offensive line will leave him vulnerable to pressure, which has been a major issue for him in the past.” 

To read Dubin’s full answer for each question, be sure to click here. 

6. Extra points: Texans set to sign Nick Chubb

This is always a busy time in the NFL, and since it’s nearly impossible to keep track of everything that’s happening, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you. 

• Nick Chubb expected to sign with Houston. The former Browns running back is going to try to revive his career with the Texans. Chubb is headed to Houston where he’s expected to sign on Monday, assuming he passes his physical. Chubb has missed 24 games over the past two seasons, but he’s been one of the best running backs in the NFL when he’s healthy, so the Texans have decided to take a flier on him for 2025. 
• Jalen Ramsey won’t attend mandatory minicamp. It doesn’t look like Ramsey and the Dolphins are going to be able to patch things up. Ramsey has been on the trade market all offseason, and with the Dolphins still trying to deal him away, the cornerback won’t be attending mandatory minicamp this week. 
• ‘Pac Man’ Jones arrested for fourth time in four years. The former All-Pro defensive back was arrested over the weekend near Cincinnati after being charged with alcohol intoxication in a public place. This marks at least the fourth time since 2021 that Jones has been charged with a criminal offense. You can read more about his arrest here. 
• Veteran NFL receiver retires. After 10 NFL seasons, Chris Conley has decided to hang up his cleats for good. Conley spent the past two seasons with the 49ers, which included catching one pass for 18 yards in San Francisco’s 25-22 loss to the Chiefs in Super Bowl LVIII. Conley will finish his career with 226 catches for 2,998 yards. The receiver decided to retire so that he can go to film school, and we’ve got more on that here. 

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Author: John Breech
June 9, 2025 | 1:05 pm

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