Steelers: "He absolutely is worth the wait": Aaron Rodgers' ex-teammate shares bold take on 4x MVP holding out on Steelers

The Pittsburgh Steelers are set to enter OTAs without the presence of Aaron Rodgers. Pittsburgh appears to be Rodgers' lone suitor at this juncture, but the four-time MVP is also considering stepping away and retiring.

Still, the Steelers front office is optimistic they can strike a deal with the signal-caller. Despite a lack of certainty regarding Rodgers' future, one of his former teammates believes he will be worth the wait for the Steelers.

On Monday's episode of The Facility, former Green Bay Packers wideout James Jones said (Timestamp: 0:35),

"That quarterback room, the way they're looking right now, it's not five carat. ... So I don't know what carat they are, but obviously, when Aaron Rodgers walks in that building, the Steelers are a better football team. So, he is absolutely worth the wait."

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Rodgers and Jones helped lead Green Bay to a victory in Super Bowl XLV over the Steelers. Landing with Pittsburgh would be something of a full-circle moment in that regard, but a deal still appears to be a good way away.

Steelers reportedly monitoring Kirk Cousins as backup option

As Pittsburgh's front office continues to monitor the status of Aaron Rodgers, they are keeping their options open for other potential veteran candidates. Though Rodgers remains the team's top priority, Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins has reportedly arisen as a veteran option for the Steelers.

Last week, NFL insider Jeremy Fowler reported that Cousins was "at the very least" on Pittsburgh's radar, meaning the front office is likely keeping tabs on Cousins' status in Atlanta.

Cousins was benched last season for the No. 8 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Michael Penix Jr., who the Falcons are moving forward with as the team's starting quarterback.

With Cousins available, the Falcons would likely have to take a larger hit on his salary than they'd like. If Pittsburgh is willing to open its wallet, it could land a viable option if Rodgers elects to retire.

About the author

Ethen Hutton is an analyst who works for Sportskeeda, covering College Football, the NFL, the NBA and the WNBA. Ethen graduated high school with academic and athletic honors and is a member of the National High School Honors Society. After a gap year, Ethen jumped into sports writing and has over two years of experience in the field.

Ethen was raised in Ohio and is a Cleveland Cavaliers fan. His favorite all-time player is Pete Maravich as his shooting and ball-handling abilities were way ahead of his time. His favorite player in today’s NBA is Nikola Jokic due to his fascinating skillset as a big man.

Ethen loves the storylines around the NBA and the chaos that the offseason and trade deadlines bring. He enjoys technical deep dives with strong statistical analysis as well as stories where he's able to take a stance as an analyst. He is very prideful in the correctness of his work and will do extensive research to ensure all facts and evidence are 100% accurate.

When not working, Ethen enjoys recording his sports podcast, Wide Right. He is also a very invested fantasy football player.

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Edited by Ribin Peter