Ben Roethlisberger wonders if Derek Carr worsened Aaron Rodgers to Steelers odds

Ben Roethlisberger offered some interesting insight on how Derek Carr's injury could impact the Steelers pursuit of Aaron Rodgers.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are preparing for the 2025 NFL draft, but they still have a big question mark at the quarterback position. Despite continually being linked to Aaron Rodgers in free agency, he has yet to sign a deal with the team. According to former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, he thinks that Derek Carr's injury with the New Orleans Saints could throw a wrench in Pittsburgh's plans.

With Carr set to potentially miss the entire 2025 campaign due to a shoulder injury, they could suddenly emerge as a suitor for Rodgers in a market that had been dwindled down to just the Steelers. While there's no guarantee New Orleans would be interested in Rodgers, or that Rodgers would be interested in New Orleans, Roethlisberger thinks Carr's injury makes them a team worth watching.

“My thought last week … was that, ‘Is there a chance that there's a team out there that we don’t know about yet that has a quarterback that’s maybe is injured?' Roethlisberger said on “Footbahlin With Ben Roethlisberger.” “Then what news did we learn this week? We learned that Derek Carr has a shoulder injury and may miss the whole season … That’s a new door that’s opened up in the saga.”

“Everyone was talking about Minnesota, that door we thought kind of closed. It’s Pittsburgh, it’s retirement, it’s maybe wait till the season gets going when you lose a potential quarterback on a team that is a contender. Then it's just up to Aaron. Do they want Aaron? Would Aaron want to go there? Would they rather go to the draft? So there’s still a lot of questions, but it's still interesting that that is there.”

Ben Roethlisberger thinks Saints may pose threat to Steelers' Aaron Rodgers pursuit

Rodgers' future is still a major question mark, as many folks believed he'd either sign with the Steelers or retire as teams gradually began to disappear from his market. With the Saints suddenly looking like a team that needs a starting quarterback, though, Rodgers' market could have some life, even with New Orleans reportedly set to add a quarterback in the 2025 draft.

Depending on who the Saints pick in the upcoming draft, they could potentially make a run at Rodgers once the event wraps up. If they end up taking a guy like Shedeur Sanders, though, would they rather plug him into the lineup immediately, or have him sit behind Rodgers for a year before handing him the starting job? There's a lot of question marks regarding Rodgers and New Orleans, but as Roethlisberger notes, the Steelers may once again have some competition for his services.