The Steelers have just traded wide receiver George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys, as he was on an expiring contract. This move leaves the Steelers searching for a new second option at receiver—regardless of who their next quarterback ends up being. All signs point to Aaron Rodgers, but even that scenario appears far from certain.
The prevailing belief has been that Rodgers will eventually land in Pittsburgh, but he’s taking his time making a decision. Perhaps that decision will come when the NFL releases its schedule in a week. The Steelers are attempting to build around a quarterback, but even they aren’t sure who that will be at this point. Romeo Doubs is a name to keep an eye on.
The Steelers’ minority owner has even commented on the Rodgers situation, highlighting just how complicated things have become.
“And Rooney’s fellow owner, minority stakeholder Thomas Tull, is admittedly puzzled by the situation. Speaking with CNBC this week about artificial intelligence, Tull joked that the Steelers’ pursuit of Rodgers is ‘a more complex issue’ than even AI, as Penn Live reported,” Cody Benjamin wrote.
The clear plan is for Rodgers to become a Steeler, but if that falls through, Pittsburgh could pivot to Kirk Cousins. He appears to be the only other veteran quarterback option still on the table—especially after the team has waited so long on Rodgers. That said, the Steelers might have one last trick up their sleeve: trading for Rodgers’ former teammate, Allen Lazard.
“Jets receiver Allen Lazard is ‘in play’ to be traded to the Steelers. Why Lazard? Because Rodgers completely and totally trusts him. And Lazard, for whatever reason, performs much better with Rodgers than he does without him,” Mike Florio wrote.
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Acquiring a trusted target like Lazard could heavily influence Rodgers’ decision—if he hasn’t made it already. The Steelers are in a strong position with DK Metcalf as their primary wide receiver, but adding Lazard could be an upgrade over Pickens in terms of chemistry and familiarity.
