The Falcons are waiting for an opportunity to trade quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins is waiting until after the draft to decide whether he’ll waive his no-trade clause.
In four weeks, we’ll all know whether one or more teams will still be looking for a starting quarterback. At this point, however, the universe seems to be fairly small. It consists of two possibilities: the Steelers and the Browns.
The Titans possibly could join that mix, if they trade the first overall pick and don’t draft quarterback Cam Ward. (There’s still a chance that will happen, in part because the Titans in recent years have done some unconventional things.) For now, though, it’s Cleveland or Pittsburgh for Cousins.
So which one would want him? To the extent the Steelers witnessed his post-Achilles struggles in Week 1 last year, they might not be thrilled about casting their lot with a player who has lost the footrace with Father Time. (Especially since they did precisely that a year ago.) But if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t sign (and he still has his arm, despite his advanced age), the Steelers will be stuck.
The Browns make more sense than the Steelers, for a couple of reasons. First, coach Kevin Stefanski spent two years with Cousins in Minnesota. And Stefanski parlayed a final-eight season from Cousins into the job Stefanski now has. Second, Cousins has a low salary for a veteran starter — and the Browns could instantly restructure his $27.5 million, creating nearly $21 million in cap space.
Cousins also could decide to play the waiting game. If/when a starter elsewhere gets injured, he could waive his no-trade clause and rush to the rescue. In the interim, he’d be getting paid his full salary from the Falcons.
There’s still a chance Cousins will simply be a highly paid understudy to Michael Penix Jr., and that the Falcons will cut Cousins after the 2025 season. The final pieces won’t begin to fall into place until later this month, once the picks have been made and the depth charts come into far greater focus.
For now, Steelers, Browns, Falcons seem to be the top (and perhaps only) options.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II sounds confident that Aaron Rodgers will sign with his team soon.
“We keep hearing that he’s, I guess, headed in our direction, and so that seems to be all signs are positive so far,” Rooney said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.
Rooney acknowledged, however, that he didn’t expect to still be working on this in April, and that the Steelers can’t wait forever for Rodgers to make up his mind.
“No. Didn’t envision it taking this long,” Rooney said. “Not forever, but a little while longer.”
Rooney said it was a “good sign” that Rodgers spent time working with new Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf last weekend and that there are “positive signs” that a deal will get done.
The Steelers’ proposal to allow for communication between impending free agents and interested teams during the two-day negotiating period before the start of free agency has passed.
It marks a significant change to the free agency process.
The two days before the start of a new league year in March is known as “legal tampering.” It’s when teams can negotiate with agents of prospective unrestricted free agents.
Teams previously were banned from any direct contact with players.
Beginning in 2026, rules will allow for one video or phone call with a player during the two-day window. Teams can have direct contact with no more than five prospective unrestricted free agents.
Owners also passed the Steelers’ proposal to allow teams that agree to contract terms with players in that period to make travel arrangements to the team’s facility upon informing the league of the agreement. Previously, those arrangements had to wait until the start of the league year.
No travel is allowed to take place before the league year begins.
The Browns may have missed on the swing they took with Deshaun Watson. But as they rebuild their quarterbacks room, they did trade for 2022 first-round pick Kenny Pickett.
After spending last season with the Eagles, Pickett is set to receive an opportunity to start in 2025. He’s currently the only healthy quarterback on Cleveland’s roster, as Watson will miss at least a significant portion of the season after suffering a setback in his recovery from a torn Achilles.
“Very excited about Kenny,” head coach Kevin Stefanski said at the annual league meeting on Monday, via Zac Jackson of TheAthletic.com. “We’ve had him up into our building and [liked] just the brief time talking to him, understanding what he knows about this game and how he’s been coached. I caught up with some of his former coaches in Philly and they filled me in on the type of person, type of player he is.
“So, excited for Kenny and the opportunity to see what he’s capable of. He’s got the right makeup for it.”
Pickett, 26, started one game for Philadelphia last season, though he did appear in five regular-season contests. He completed 60 percent of his throws in those games, passing for 290 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
The Steelers traded Pickett to the Eagles after he started 24 games for the team in his first two seasons, leading the club to a 7-5 record each year. He completed 62.6 percent of his throws for Pittsburgh for 4,474 yards with 13 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
The Steelers may or may not have Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback in 2025. They continue to wait for the four-time MVP to make a decision on his future with no deadline in place.
Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson the only quarterbacks on the roster currently.
Steelers General Manager Omar Khan said Monday it’s a “safe assumption” the team will add a veteran quarterback, whether that’s Rodgers or someone else.
If it’s not Rodgers who joins the roster, it’s possible Rudolph could be the starting quarterback in 2025.
Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said he would be “comfortable” with Rudolph as the starter.
“That’s why we brought him back,” Tomlin said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “I’m comfortable with that. We’ve been there before. He’s a very capable guy.”
Khan said he has a “lot of confidence” in Rudolph, who signed a two-year, $7.5 million deal with the Steelers after spending a season in Tennessee.
“We had a need at the position, as you guys know, and he was available and had an interest in coming back,” Khan said. “Our experience with Mason’s been relatively positive, so he made sense.”
Rudolph was only 1-4 in five starts with the Titans last season, but his best stint came in 2023 with the Steelers. He won three consecutive starts to end the regular season before a playoff loss, throwing five touchdowns and an interception in the four games and averaging 236 passing yards.
“Anytime you experience something with somebody, there’s growth, and I acknowledge [it] in that regard,” Tomlin said. “Certainly the way he smiled in the face of adversity and delivered for us was significant, but not that I was shocked by it or didn’t think it was within his framework or capabilities. We’re excited about having him back, not only in terms of his talents but the guy that he is. He’s a really good teammate. He’s a really good football guy.”
The Steelers certainly would take Rodgers over Rudolph, which is why they continue to wait for an answer from Rodgers. But they seem to be preparing for Rudolph to start if it comes to that.
Despite the turnover at the quarterback position, with six different starting quarterbacks, the Steelers have made the playoffs four of the past five seasons.
Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell said on Friday that taking the opportunity to talk to Aaron Rodgers in recent weeks was not a sign of doubt about J.J. McCarthy’s ability to handle the team’s quarterback job.
O’Connell said that “two things can be true at the same time” while speaking to reporters at the league meetings in Palm Beach. The team took McCarthy early in last year’s draft because they believe in his potential and think he’s done everything possible to maximize his growth while recovering from last year’s torn meniscus, but that the chance to speak to Rodgers was something the team wasn’t going to pass up.
“The second part that can be true is Aaron Rodgers is a four-time NFL MVP and somebody who, not just myself, but we’ve all had so much respect for competing against him,” O’Connell said, via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. “And he happened to be at a point in time in his career where he was free to have some real dialogue about what his future may look like. And we happened to be one of those teams that he reached out to. And I have had a personal relationship with him going back since my playing days.”
O’Connell said he feels “very strongly” that McCarthy is prepared to make a positive impact for the team this year and that the key for the team is now “to go to work and do it.”
The Packers’ proposal to ban immediate pushing on plays like the tush push has been a popular topic of conversation at the league meetings in Palm Beach.
AFC coaches met with the media on Monday morning and many of them were asked for their opinions about whether the play should remain in the game. We’re compiling those responses and will continue to add more to the list throughout the day and when their NFC brethren have their turn to speak to reporters on Tuesday.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is part of that group, but his team’s success running the play has led to this discussion and he’s been clear about his opposition to any change.
Given the Packers’ proposal, it was also easy to guess which side head coach Matt LaFleur takes on the matter.
Bills head coach Sean McDermott is a member of the NFL’s Competition Committee and said he is in favor of a “proactive” move against the play for health an safety reasons.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is also on the committee and shared McDermott’s feelings that the lack of injury data may not speak to the full risks involved, but called himself “open-minded” ahead of further conversations.
Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said “if it’s putting a player in a bad position, then you probably have to do something about it,” but said you could “argue it either way” given current information.
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh called it a “football play,” but said his opinion could change with further medical information.
Colts head coach Shane Steichen was once the Eagles’ offensive coordinator and he said on Monday that he’s against any ban.
Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said he’s in favor of keeping the current rules in place.
Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports that Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel is against a rule change and Vrabel indicated the same during a Monday appearance on PFT Live.
Texans head coach DeMeco Ryans said that it is “tough to punish a team for being really good at something.” ’
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn said “my job is to stop that play.”
Rams head coach Sean McVay said “it doesn’t look like football” and said the play shouldn’t be legal, but expressed doubt any change will come this year.
Saints head coach and former Eagles offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is comfortable with the play being legal.
Commanders head coach Dan Quinn said he focuses on how to stop others from from succeeding with the play.
Falcons head coach Raheem Morris said at the Combine that he is in favor of banning the play and reiterated that at the league meetings.
Panthers head coach Dave Canales noted the lack of data showing it’s a dangerous play and said he doesn’t “want to take away competitive advantage.”
If the proposal is put to a vote of league owners, it will take 24 votes in favor of the Packers’ proposal to change current rules.
While the Lions won their division and secured the NFC’s top seed and the conference’s postseason bye, the club still proposed eliminating the guaranteed home playoff game for a division winner.
Chairman of the Competition Committee Rich McKay said the proposal would spark some fresh discussion.
To that end, Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters he’s not in favor of making that change.
“I’m a division purist,” Tomlin said during the annual league meeting on Monday, via Dale Lolley of the team’s website. “I love the rivalries that is division play. I love the structure of our scheduling that highlights it.
“I think the division winners should get a home playoff game.”
The current playoff format has been in place since 2020 when a third wild card team was added. Since then, only one team in each conference has earned a bye to get to the divisional round as opposed to the top two seeds in each conference.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers met with the Steelers at their facility over a week ago and he’s reportedly spent some time with a possible Pittsburgh teammate as well.
Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that Rodgers and Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf worked out together. Per the report, the players had a throwing session at UCLA over the weekend.
The session does not appear to have led to a change in where things stand in regard to Rodgers signing with the Steelers, but it is something else for Rodgers to take into account as he moves toward a decision.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said on Sunday that the team had a good visit with Rodgers, but that there’s no deadline for that decision. He reiterated that during another media session on Monday.
One of the four head coaches on the NFL Competition Committee appears to be inclined to support the Packers’ proposal to ban the tush push during this week’s league meetings, but another one was more circumspect about his position on Monday.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin shared some of Bills head coach Sean McDermott’s misgivings about the safety of the play while also acknowledging the lack of data showing increased injuries when it is run. Tomlin said the small sample size makes it harder to gauge the true risks and said, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN.com, that he is “open-minded” ahead of the committe’s conversations with medical personnel.
“The first time I saw it, I couldn’t believe that it was legal because it was illegal on the field goal,” Tomlin said, via Mike DeFabo of TheAthletic.com. “That being said. You hate to be against it, because when people are innovative, you want to respect that. There’s certainly been some teams that have been more innovative than the rest of us. . . . We hate to penalize them for it. But we got into the discussion on the field goal block because of player safety and so that still remains to be a component of the discussion.”
There will need to be 24 votes in favor of banning the play for any rule change to take effect. The committee’s conversations will have some impact on how teams vote, but that bar may prove to be too high to overcome the feeling that the ban proposal is more about punishing success than player safety.
