With the Pittsburgh Steelers’ 2025 offseason now fully underway, one of the trendier names to replace quarterback Russell Wilson has been four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers — let’s say the 41-year-old is released by the New York Jets.
However, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette insider Gerry Dulac shut down that QB rumor while speaking with the Rich Eisen Show on January 16, stating confidently: “I could tell you it won’t be Aaron Rodgers. [The Steelers] have no interest in doing that.”
Just before closing the door on Rodgers, Dulac also predicted that the 2025 starter would be 2024 backup Justin Fields — although he asked Eisen not to “hold him to that” educated guess.
“For right now, Rich, I will say Justin Fields, but don’t hold me to that please,” he said.
Dulac followed up on a few other quarterback options too, voicing: “Sam Darnold would be a good landing spot. We did not see the best of Sam Darnold the last two games — I don’t know if that’s going to hurt him or not. It won’t be Kirk Cousins; they don’t need to go that direction either. And they’re not going to take one in the draft. They’re not in position to do that, plus I’m not sure it’s a great year for that anyhow.”
In the end, Dulac concluded that aside from Fields, the top two candidates are most likely either a Wilson reunion or Darnold. “That’s what it’s basically gonna come down to,” he added.
Ben Roethlisberger Is Not a Fan of Aaron Rodgers to Steelers
Most Steelers fans seem to be against bringing Rodgers to Pittsburgh, although there are some supporters out there on social media. Having said that, ex-Steelers QB legend Ben Roethlisberger is not one of them.
“Is Aaron going to play anymore? I mean, there’s rumors of him coming to Pittsburgh — which I don’t think is a good move for the Steelers,” Roethlisberger told the “Footbahlin” podcast on January 15. “I don’t think that’s what you want. I don’t think you want a guy for like a one-year Band-Aid — just cause… if you think that you are just a quarterback away, then you go try and find a quarterback that you think can take you over the top.”
As Roethlisberger continued his point, his main reason for not wanting the aging superstar was basically a combination of Rodgers’ lack of mobility and the Steelers’ poor pass protection.
“[Rodgers] got sacked a lot last year,” the Steelers champion went on. “Listen, Aaron is going to go down as one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game. He is a first ballot Hall of Famer. He is everything you want, but I don’t know that he fits here because you saw what happened [in 2024]. I mean, Russ can move better than Aaron and Russ couldn’t get away from some sacks this year. I think if he came here, he would have to learn a new system again. He wouldn’t have anybody to throw the ball to… I just don’t think that Aaron is the fit for [the Steelers].”
Similar to Dulac, Roethlisberger preferred either sticking with Fields or Wilson on an affordable extension, or targeting a free agent like Darnold rather than Rodgers.
Dulac Discusses Potential ‘Disconnect’ Between Russell Wilson & Steelers OC Arthur Smith
One of the main reasons people are starting to predict Fields, and not Wilson, as the Steelers’ starting quarterback next year is the supposed “disconnect” between the veteran signal-caller and offensive coordinator Arthur Smith.
Assuming Smith is back in 2025, which appears likely unless he lands a head coaching job — it’s Fields, not Wilson, who has raved about the Steelers OC. Dulac spoke on this potential rift while chatting with Eisen on Thursday.
“I think there’s a little disconnect between Russell Wilson and the offensive coordinator,” Dulac noted. “The way [Smith] wants to play and the way Wilson would like to play. I’m not going to sit here and tell you that’s the reason for their skid here at the end because it worked for a good while. For seven games, it worked very well. They were averaging 28, nearly 29 points with Russell Wilson for that seven-game stretch.”
“But, did the Steelers, did the offensive scheme, did the formations, did they [all] become predictable?” The veteran reporter pondered. “Did their personnel groupings become predictable and start tipping off what they were going to do? Those were all things that were addressed and talked about, because it was happening.”
During his end of year press conference on January 14, Tomlin brushed this rumor under the rug, expressing that he thought the relationship between Smith and Wilson was “pretty good and fluid.”
“I know they do an awesome job of spending time together and communicating formally and informally,” the Steelers HC stated. “We’re not paid by the hour in this business, and I think their willingness to work and work together is kind of a reflection of that sentiment.”
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Steelers Insider Closes the Door on Trendy Russell Wilson Replacement