{"id":165672,"date":"2026-03-17T16:46:38","date_gmt":"2026-03-17T16:46:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=165672"},"modified":"2026-03-17T16:46:38","modified_gmt":"2026-03-17T16:46:38","slug":"steelers-just-pulled-off-the-heist-of-the-offseason-while-the-league-obsessed-over-aaron-rodgers-next-chapter-pittsburgh-quietly-secured-a-180m-super-bowl-worthy-qb-the-standard-is-the-s","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportnews.azontree.com\/?p=165672","title":{"rendered":"STEELERS JUST PULLED OFF THE HEIST OF THE OFFSEASON! While the League Obsessed Over Aaron Rodgers&#8217; Next Chapter, Pittsburgh Quietly Secured a $180M Super Bowl-Worthy QB\u2014 The Standard Is the Standard, and the Future Just Got Locked Down!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Pittsburgh Steelers need a new quarterback, and the team could look at a surprising name.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/heavy.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/GettyImages-2241526738-e1770487193745.jpg?quality=65&amp;strip=all&amp;w=780\" alt=\"Keeanu Benton News, Stats, Bio &amp; Fantasy\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Pittsburgh has been hoping for Aaron Rodgers to return for another season, but he\u2019s yet to sign, and his future is up in the air. If the Steelers don\u2019t want to wait for Rodgers, the team could look elsewhere, and NFL analyst Jacob Camenker of USA Today named the team a fit for Kirk Cousins.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Steelers are still waiting on Aaron Rodgers to make a decision about his future,\u201d Camenker wrote. \u201cIf the 42-year-old returns for another season, Cousins wouldn\u2019t be an option for Pittsburgh. But if Rodgers calls it quits, Mike McCarthy could consider targeting Cousins as a different veteran stopgap to steer the team.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Steelers were exceedingly patient with Rodgers last offseason \u2013 he didn\u2019t officially sign until June \u2013 and may give him that grace again in 2026. With that in mind, Cousins may not be willing to wait around to see if Pittsburgh\u2019s job opens up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cousins is a free agent after the Atlanta Falcons released him from his four-year, $180 million deal. The veteran quarterback would be a solid starting option for the Steelers and could be a short-term stopgap until Pittsburgh finds its franchise quarterback.<\/p>\n<p>And, Cousins wouldn\u2019t be expensive, so it could be a smart option for Pittsburgh to bring in a veteran quarterback who can help the team win now if Rodgers doesn\u2019t return.<\/p>\n<p>Cousins threw for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in 10 games last season.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Steelers Hopeful Rodgers Will Return<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Although Pittsburgh has yet to make a move at quarterback, the team is hopeful that Rodgers will return.<\/p>\n<p>Rodgers led the Steelers to an AFC North title and a playoff berth. So, Steelers insider Mike DeFabo of The Athletic expects the veteran quarterback to return.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhile general manager Omar Khan said at the NFL Scouting Combine that he doesn\u2019t anticipate the indecision will drag out like it did last year,\u201d DeFabo wrote. \u201cAnd the prevailing sentiment from inside the organization is that the team believes an answer will come sometime this month, the Steelers ended Wednesday as one of the NFL\u2019s few teams without a clear-cut QB1 in place or an obvious path to land one.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat said, while the Steelers don\u2019t have a signature on a dotted line, the moves they made suggest they\u2019re trying to win in this 42-year-old QB\u2019s window.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rodgers, however, said he would be taking his time with his decision, as he\u2019s enjoying his offseason.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere\u2019s been no deadline that\u2019s been put in front of me. There\u2019s no contract offer or anything. So, there\u2019s nothing that I\u2019m having to debate between,\u201d said Rodgers on The Pat McAfee Show. \u201cI\u2019m a free agent and, again, I\u2019m enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the offseason.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions last season.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Cousins Wants to Continue Playing<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Cousins\u2019 tenure in Atlanta was a mess from the start.<\/p>\n<p>After signing the $180 million deal, the Falcons drafted Michael Penix Jr. in the first round, just months after signing. So, his tenure with Atlanta was filled with a quarterback battle, and after Week 18, he said he wants to continue playing.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019d like to keep playing, but we will see how things play out in March or even after that,\u201d Cousins said after Atlanta\u2019s Week 18 game. \u201cI would love to be back here. \u2026 At this point, you just have to see where it goes.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Cousins is a four-time Pro Bowler.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Pittsburgh Steelers need a new quarterback, and the team could look at a surprising name. Pittsburgh has been hoping for Aaron Rodgers to return for another&#8230; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":165673,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-165672","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nfl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>STEELERS JUST PULLED OFF THE HEIST OF THE OFFSEASON! 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