The Pittsburgh Steelers came close to charting a very different quarterback path last offseason, with Kirk Cousins briefly emerging as a serious fallback option before the club ultimately recommitted to Aaron Rodgers, a twist that could have reshaped the team’s future plans.
NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero confirmed that the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ front office did, in fact, explore the possibility of acquiring Kirk Cousins from the Atlanta Falcons when uncertainty around Rodgers‘ status lingered.
“Kirk Cousins is the one, and I know that they called on him last year and the Atlanta Falcons at the time didn’t want to trade him, didn’t want to engage in trade talks, but now Kirk Cousins is free,” Pelissero said, outlining how Pittsburgh Steelers viewed Cousins as a legitimate alternative if Rodgers didn’t materialize.
That candid assessment from Pelissero reflects how real the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ interest in Cousins was at a pivotal moment in the 2025 offseason. It also highlighted the uncertainty around Pittsburgh Steelers‘ quarterback room, which was left without a clear starter as draft week approached.
For fans and front-office observers alike, the idea of Cousins in black and gold carried both appeal and risk. The veteran signal-caller, who has carved out a long NFL career with stops in Washington, Minnesota, and Atlanta, brought experience and a no-trade clause that complicated negotiations.
But the financial and strategic calculus around Cousins was far from straightforward. His contract, a four-year, fully guaranteed deal signed with the Atlanta Falcons, meant any acquiring team would have to absorb significant salary cap implications.
Reports from the spring suggested that Atlanta Falcons was seeking substantial salary relief or draft compensation, making potential trades difficult for teams like the Pittsburgh Steelers to justify.
Even among NFL analysts, opinions diverged on whether Cousins was a smart fit. Some viewed his experience and starting pedigree as valuable in a league where veteran quarterbacks are at a premium, while others questioned the wisdom of taking on his cap hit and inconsistent recent performance.
Regardless, Pittsburgh Steelers‘ front office clearly weighed those factors seriously before making its final call.
How the quarterback chessboard shifted
By mid-offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers‘ focus had shifted almost entirely back to Rodgers, whose potential signing gave Pittsburgh Steelers a clearer identity at the most important position on the field.
With Rodgers expected to return, and Cousins still under contract with Atlanta Falcons, the latter’s market cooled, and interest from Pittsburgh Steelers waned accordingly.
Had the Pittsburgh Steelers pulled the trigger on a Cousins deal, the ramifications could have been significant.
Pittsburgh Steelers might have entered the 2025 season with a different offensive philosophy, and its draft strategy could have shifted toward building around an established veteran rather than seeking a long-term franchise quarterback.
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