While there is no official deadline for Aaron Rodgers, Mike Tomlin somewhat offered one to the four-time league MVP during a joint pre-draft press conference with Steelers general manager Omar Khan.
After saying that Rodgers won’t impact the team’s draft strategy, the Steelers head coach was asked if the outcome of the draft could impact Pittsburgh’s pursuit of the 41-year-old quarterback who has still not made a decision on his plans for the 2025 season.
“I think what you do in the draft oftentimes affects maybe some, you know, talent acquisition that happens after,” Tomlin said. “We’ll see how the acquisitions go this weekend.”
While he clearly didn’t make a definitive deadline, that quote is an acknowledgement from Tomlin that the Steelers could possibly change courses regarding Rodgers if they are able to acquire one of the top-rated quarterbacks in the draft. There’s been a recent, growing narrative that Shedeur Sanders — who was one of Pittsburgh’s 30 pre-draft visitors — could fall to them with the 21st overall pick. If that happened, and the Steelers decided to draft Sanders, it’s certainly possible that they would cease their pursuit of Rodgers.
Speaking of Sanders, Tomlin spoke glowingly about his meeting with the former Colorado quarterback and son of Buffaloes head coach and Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders.
“You know, I’ve obviously known his father for a long time,” Tomlin said. “My first time meeting (Shedeur), and to be quite honest with you, we didn’t talk a whole lot about my relationship with his father. It was a normal pre-draft visit to spend time with a young man, to talk ball, to get to know him as an individual, to get to see how he processes and sees the game and how he articulates his football experience. From that standpoint, I was very normal visit and a very productive one.”
Tomlin gave a nuanced answer when asked what stood out from his meeting with Sanders.
“I think the things that stood out were evident in his video,” Tomlin said. “There’s a toughness there that doesn’t get talked about enough. There’s a competitive spirit there; it doesn’t get talked about enough. I know he’s very talented and made a lot of plays for his university and his team, but the intangible qualities displayed on tape were impressive to me.”
It’s clear, based on Tomlin’s answers and various other reports, that the Steelers think highly of Sanders and would in all likelihood draft him if he were to fall to them with the 21st pick. But, similarly to how they didn’t trade up to draft Ben Roethlisberger back in 2004, Pittsburgh likely won’t go to great lengths when it comes to trading up in an attempt to draft him. The Steelers only have six picks in this draft and, as Khan said on Tuesday, are more likely to trade back in this draft.
Khan also reiterated his vision for the Steelers’ quarterback position entering the draft. He said that the team will add two more quarterbacks between now and when Pittsburgh heads to training camp in mid-July. Who those two quarterbacks will be are anyone’s guess, but it’s safe to say that Rodgers’ odds at being one of them is significantly slimmer if Pittsburgh is able to draft Sanders on Thursday night.
Add Comment