It took longer than most anticipated, but the Pittsburgh Steelers and four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers have finally agreed on a contract for the 2025 season. The veteran was taking his time throughout the offseason; however, he will be in attendance for the team's mandatory minicamp. Signing a 41-year-old signal-caller hints at the fact that the organization wants to win now and any kind of "off year" to gain good draft positioning is out of the question. The franchise's front office will need to be aggressive in the coming months to round out a roster that will compete in a packed AFC.
A lot of fans currently want to talk about the wide receiver position, and rightfully so, but the defense has some holes as well. The defensive line was upgraded via the 2025 NFL Draft, but the defense as a whole is one injury to a cornerback away from being in a very bad spot. Darius Slay came to town on a one-year deal, but there is still room to improve the unit overall.
The signing of Rodgers could entice some other veteran free agents to explore the possibility of playing for the Steelers in 2025. If the team has one of the better defenses in the league, an offense led by Rodgers could do just enough to make a legitimate run in the playoffs. Defensively, a former teammate of the quarterback has recently become available, and could be targeted by Pittsburgh.
Jaire Alexander is very talented and a two-time Pro Bowl selection. If he were to sign with the Steelers, the secondary would suddenly become one of the AFC's best with Alexander, Slay and Joey Porter Jr. The biggest complication with a potential signing would be that none of the three have true experience playing as a slot corner, and that could end up being a dealbreaker internally if Pittsburgh's decision-makers discuss Alexander's availability.
Overall, the Steelers are just a couple more additions away from being looked at as a true contender in the AFC. Loading the roster up with talent would be a wise move, even though new faces wouldn't have had the chance to spend an entire offseason in the Steel City. Alexander has 12 career interceptions after being selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Alexander was hoping to get a new contract from the Packers, but the team may have been turned off because of the injury issues that the cornerback has had. He has only played in 14 games over the last two seasons, so it might be wise for him to go somewhere with other talented defenders around him. Every player wants to be on the field for every snap, but Alexander rotating in and not playing 100% of the time the defense is on the field could be beneficial for him.
Pittsburgh has some work to do if it wants to have a chance at a legitimate postseason run in 2025. The two big question marks remaining are at wide receiver and slot corner. If bringing in someone like Alexander can somehow lead to a creative defensive plan that increases the unit's effectiveness, it could absolutely make sense to reunite Rodgers with on of his former Packers teammates.
Steelers Hoping To Give Aaron Rodgers One Last Super Bowl Chance
It is certainly possible that the 2025 campaign is Rodgers' last. If Pittsburgh truly is all in for the year, then bringing in a couple more veteran play-makers could be the reason why the organization has some postseason success with Rodgers under center. Time will tell, but a sneaky signing of Alexander could be the final boost that the defense needs to be dominant.
