Retired Steelers coach Bill Cowher has one question for Aaron Rodgers as his former team continues to push for the future Hall of Famer to suit up in black and yellow for the 2025 season.
When fielding questions Tuesday on “The Dan Patrick Show” about Pittsburgh’s plans at quarterback, Cowher — who coached the Steelers from 1992 through 2006 and won Super Bowl XL — pondered the 41-year-old quarterback’s desire to continue playing as the waiting game drags on.
“Can he still throw it? Yes. Is he mobile enough? I think so. But does he really want to play? I mean, the longer you wait the more you have to wonder where is his heart and how much does he really want to do it,” Cowher, 67, said.
“I always think when somebody starts talking about retirement, they’ve already checked the box and so, they’ve checked out to some degree.”
Pittsburgh has pursued Rodgers following his release from the Jets after two lackluster seasons.
The Giants are also in the hunt while the Vikings — a preferred Rodgers destination — are moving forward with second-year quarterback J.J. McCarthy, who is coming off knee surgery.
Cowher added how Rodgers is “a guy that thinks through” a mulтιтude of elements but believes there’s motivation to compete following a flop of a 5-12 campaign with the Jets in 2024.
“The five wins, that’s just not what he wants to go out as being a quarterback of that kind of team, so, I think he’s motivated to play and I think at the same time, where does he want to play but those are conversations that you’ve got to be convinced that that’s where his heart is at,” Cowher said.
Although the Steelers are clearly enamored with Rodgers, Cowher believes veteran Russell Wilson is the organization’s “best choice.”
“You’ve worked with him for a year, a lot of good things were done, they weren’t healthy at the end of the season, it’s a much better receiving corp,” Cowher said, noting Wilson’s familiarity with newly acquired wideout DK Metcalf, who played with the quarterback during their time together in Seattle.
Wilson, 36, signed a one-year deal with the Steelers last offseason.
He took over for Justin Fields in October after being sidelined with a calf issue, winning his first four games under center.
The Steelers ended the season on a dismal note, riding a five-game skid through the wild-card round of the playoffs.
Wilson has since taken visits with the Browns and Giants and is one of the top free agents at the position still on the market.
Meanwhile, Fields departed the Steelers for a two-year, $40 million deal with the Jets.
Though it’s anticipated Rodgers will play in 2025, confidant Pat McAfee speculated Wednesday on his self-тιтled ESPN program that retirement can’t be completely ruled out.
“We have not talked to him, this is us just following all the other stories of him saying nothing,” McAfee said.
Rodgers spoke candidly about his football mortality in 2022, stating he ponders retirement “all the time.”
“When you commit, you’re 100 percent,” Rodgers said during Capital One’s “The Match” event while still a member of the Packers. “But the older you get, the interests change, and the grind, I think, wears on you a little more.”
