Steelers, Kirk Cousins Speculation Resurfaces

On the off chance Aaron Rodgers spurns the Pittsburgh Steelers, the door still appears ajar for them to make a splash by acquiring a different veteran quarterback.

Appearing on "The Pat McAfee Show", ESPN insider Peter Schrager revealed that Kirk Cousins' name popped up throughout the NFL Draft and that Pittsburgh make a ton of sense as a potential landing spot for the Atlanta Falcons' signal caller should they go ahead and look to trade him.

"Kirk Cousins' name was coming up throughout the draft, and seeing if Pittsburgh doesn't get Aaron Rodgers, is that the move," Schrager said. "I think Cousins is still a viable trade target, as much as they want to talk out of both sides of their mouths in Atlanta, the fact of the matter is you're paying him a wild amount of money to be a backup quarterback right now, and he is still a viable starting quarterback. If there is a seat on the carousel that's open, it is Pittsburgh, so I would keep an eye on that one."

NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport recently threw out Cousins as someone who may entice the Steelers should Rodgers no longer become a target of theirs, and the 36-year-old would fit the team rather well, at least on paper.

His $10 million roster bonus for the 2026 season was guaranteed once Atlanta held on to him past the March 15 deadline, however, and it would incur a $37.5 million dead money charge for just the 2025 campaign should he be dealt with a post-June 1 designation.

The Falcons haven't restructured his contract this far though, which does make a trade more plausible, and if they're intent on starting 2024 first-round pick Michael Penix Jr., which it appears they are, then keeping Cousins around for another year isn't a super enticing outcome for them.

He does have a no-trade clause, but Schrager laid out the reasons why Pittsburgh profiles as potentially both an attractive and even likely destination for Cousins if Rodgers ultimately doesn't join the team.

"It's out of conference, you have a relationship between Arthur Smith, the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons, and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and of course Raheem Morris and Mike Tomlin, who are as thick as thieves and have been so since their days in Tampa Bay together," Schrager said.

Cousins did endure a down 2024 coming off a torn Achilles the year prior with the Minnesota Vikings, but he may be the next best option at quarterback for the Steelers behind Rodgers at this point.