Former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher went through a few veteran quarterbacks prior to the team drafting Ben Roethlisberger in 2004. None of the signal-callers Cowher possessed were future Hall of Fame inductees like Aaron Rodgers.
But Cowher made it clear Rodgers isn’t his first choice for the Steelers to start behind center next season. Cowher explained why and added a warning about the team potentially signing Rodgers while appearing on The Dan Patrick Show.
“Does he really want to play? I mean, the longer you wait, you just have to wonder where is his heart, and how much does he really want to do? And I said, I just think when somebody starts talking about retirement, they’ve already checked the box, so they’ve checked out to some degree,” Cowher told Patrick on March 19. “So how much has he nullified to want to come here and be part of trying to win a championship and then consequently be a bridge to the next guy?
“These are conversations that you got to be convinced that that’s where his heart is at.”
Cowher isn’t the only former member of the Steelers organization who recently preached caution about the team targeting Rodgers. Upper St. Clair and Pitt alum Doug Whaley, who worked 10 years in the Steelers organization and was Buffalo Bills general manager from 2013-16, shared a similar warning.
“If you start talking retirement at 41, is he going to be able to get over that thought process in his mind and able to give 110% for the entire season?” Whaley said during a radio appearance on 93.7 The Fan.
Doug Whaley Shares Story About Why Aaron Rodgers’ Retirement Talk is Concerning
There are recent instances where an NFL player has retired and the returned to the league to play at a high level. Those examples should put Steelers fans at ease over concerns about Rodgers talking retirement this offseason.
But players weighing their post-NFL options is a red flag, according to Whaley. The former Bills general manager shared a story from his Buffalo tenure of a time the organization purposefully avoided signing a star contemplating retirement.
‘We’re in Buffalo, and Percy Harvin gets cut from Minnesota,” Whaley said during his 93.7 The Fan appearance. “We call him to say, ‘Hey, we’re interested in you.’ And he goes, ‘I’m thinking about retiring.’
“At the time, Anthony Lynn was our running backs coach, and I think our offensive coordinator. And he says, ‘I’d love to have him, but once you hear athletes start talking about retirement, they’ve already retired.'”
Multiple NFL reporters have indicated this offseason Rodgers is choosing between the Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, New York Giants and retirement this offseason. The Vikings and Giants could potentially still be options for Rodgers down the road, but both organizations have signaled within the last week that they are not interested in bringing in Rodgers right now.
That has left the Steelers as the front runners for Rodgers if he continues his career.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported on March 21 Rodgers visited the Pittsburgh facility but left without signing a contract.
With no other teams currently courting Rodgers, it will be interesting to see if it becomes more concerning if Rodgers continues to contemplate his future. Should the veteran quarterback not ink a deal with Pittsburgh soon, that could be another indication he is seriously considering retirement.
Bill Cowher Names Russell Wilson Steelers’ Best QB Option
Cowher made interesting points about concerns over Rodgers’ retirement talk. But even putting that aside, it doesn’t sound like the former Steelers head coach prefers Rodgers.
While on The Dan Patrick Show, Cowher argued Wilson is the best quarterback choice for the Steelers in 2025.
“It’s going to be a better offensive line room with Fautanu coming back and moving Broderick Jones to left tackle. I think you’re looking at the best receiving corps you’re going to have in a long time,” Cowher told Patrick. “If they can keep George Pickens or not is the next conversation that you’ll have to have. Roman Wilson is a guy that they were counting on last year. Calvin Austin stepped up.
“So I think the offense as a whole, and I think Arthur Smith in his second year, in theory, should take a step forward. So I think they’re sitting back and again, I think it’s not unlike a Pittsburgh-way of doing things. Of seeing what their options are, not feeling pressed on not making any decision based on the fact that there is no deadline.”
Cowher didn’t even mention Wilson’s previous relationship with new Steelers wideout D.K. Metcalf. The two played three seasons together with the Seattle Seahawks.
It’s unclear, though, whether the Steelers are still considering a reunion with Wilson. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reported a Wilson return to Pittsburgh is “not totally off the list.”
However, Pelissero’s latest report suggested Wilson coming back to the Steelers again in 2025 was unlikely.
