If the ProFootballTalk report on Aaron Rodgers released this weekend is correct, then the Steelers are exactly where they should be.
Of course, this is a huge “if”, but let’s start with this.
Over the weekend, PFT published an article citing anonymous sources that “Rogers has specific deals made with other teams and those teams are compensated for trading built with the Packers. Potential moves were arranged, in fact, with the permission of the Packers. Destinations are considered to be exclusively within the AFC. No wonder the Broncos are one of them. We were told that the other viable options were the Titans and the Steelers.
Looks like this plant is near Rogers’ camp. This looks like a stoking of public interest in these three cities, so that the teams there will be incentivized to invest as much money as possible in a new contract for Rogers and be ready to part with the trading capital needed to acquire it.
It could also be an attempt to talk the Packers into a lucrative, reworked deal to keep Rodgers in Green Bay for the rest of his career.
This source can either be 100% accurate or full of garbage. I guess he’s churning out some small grain of truth.
As much as it’s true, however, the Steelers should be doing exactly what the story says. Everything else is negligence on their part.
The franchise needs a quarterback, and there’s room under the cap for a change. The two-time defending MVP in position appears to be available on the marketplace. The Steelers should at least get a price or make an offer that gets the Packers talking.
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If they talk and the Packers want too much or get outgunned by the Broncos or Titans, fine. Hang up. But Kevin Colbert at the very least needs to know what the asking price is or make an initial offer to spark dialogue.
Of course, whenever I put forward this opinion, it evokes all the usual tropes from old Steelers fans and members of the media who don’t want the Steelers to go after Rodgers, Derek Carr, Russell Wilson, or any other quarterback that could be brought in. above the Mitch Trubisky-Jamis Winston-Jacoby Brisset basket.
Just because “The Steelers don’t do business like that, no!” Or, more accurately…
• It will cost too much compared to the salary cap!
• They’ll spend too many draft picks to get him!
• He’s too old!
• They need to meet the other needs of the team first!
• He’s an annoying, self-absorbed, vaccine-fighting drama hound!
Well, I can’t say much to the last complaint. I’m just ready to go through with it for a four-time MVP.
In terms of how much it will cost compared to the salary cap, yes, that might be the biggest stumbling block. If he really wants $50 million a year to stay in Green Bay, would he demand the same amount if he traded elsewhere? What would be acceptable terms for him in a new contract if he approved the deal?
Because no team is going to give up the capital needed to acquire Rogers without making sure he stays in his new city beyond 2022.
So yes, the requirements of his contract are the biggest stumbling block. But he may not be able to get compensation. Longtime Broncos reporter Mike Clees of 9news.com said that “a direct trade for Rodgers would cost the Broncos no less than (than) their 9th overall pick in the first round, their 40th pick in the second round, and the pick in first round next year. choice”.
The Steelers should have done better since they picked a later pick (No. 20) in this year’s draft. But if so, is it really that much – two No. 1 picks and a second round for Rodgers?
Especially since it’s the same city that justified the Minky Fitzpatrick trade by saying that Fitzpatrick was “considered” the No. 1 pick when he was acquired from Miami. Rogers “thinks” the same way? Or are we moving the gate simply because the idea of the Steelers taking a swing at the quarterback makes us feel uncomfortable?
I know I know. Fitzpatrick was 23 years old. Rogers 38. The analogy is not with apples to apples. But Rogers is a quarterback, so this move is even more justified.
For the “he’s too old” crowd, NFL clubs get a five-year first-round pick (if you want a fifth-year option). The Broncos got four years from Peyton Manning after he was acquired at 36 after neck surgery. He was second in MVP voting that year, won it the following year, and appeared in two Super Bowls, winning one.
Rogers moves 10 times better than Manning and he just won the MVP at 37 and 38.
Would you enjoy four years with Rogers? Or the four-year potential that the Steelers have received from other recent first-rounders like Artie Burns, Devin Busch and Terrell Edmunds? Five of the Steelers’ last eight first-round picks never made it to the Pro Bowl.
In terms of meeting other needs first, indeed, the Steelers have a lot of them. How much do you think the Packers need without Rodgers? It was a 13-win team with Rodgers. Without him, it will be difficult for them to win six or seven tournaments.
When Manning moved to Denver, the Broncos were 8-8 points the year before. When Tom Brady moved to Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers were 7–9. The Steelers led 9-7-1 last year. The 2020 Los Angeles Rams were 10-6. They gave up two first-round picks, their starting quarterback (Jared Goff) and a third-round pick to get Matthew Stafford.
How it works?
Look, this whole conversation could get moot in your own head if you decide the report is fake. You may not go wrong by doing this.
However, if there is any truth to this, then the Steelers are doing exactly what they should by starting a conversation with Green Bay and Rogers himself.
Tim Benz is a staff columnist for the Tribune-Review. You can contact Tim at [email protected] or via Twitter. All tweets could be reposted. All emails are subject to publication unless otherwise noted.