An NFL insider revealed the Pittsburgh Steelers' view on a potential trade for Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins as an Aaron Rodgers backup plan. It's mid-May, and one of the league's most storied franchises is still in the dark on who will start under center. Head coach Mike Tomlin's team has longtime backup Mason Rudolph as QB1 right now, followed by sixth-round rookie Will Howard. The rumors for most of this offseason indicated that Rodgers would sign with Pittsburgh.

However, the recent reports on the four-time MVP potentially doing that are not all that encouraging at the moment. The Steelers moved on from their two quarterbacks of the past season, Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, and now have a major need at the position. One of the remaining starting QBs who could still be available is Kirk Cousins. The four-time Pro Bowler was benched in Atlanta in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr. and would not require a hefty return in a potential trade. James Palmer, a senior NFL insider for Bleacher Report, broke down in detail where Pittsburgh's hesitation might come from in making the 36-year-old its backup plan to Rodgers.

“I would say if Rodgers doesn’t come, would they have interest in Kirk Cousins? I think they would have some. My understanding is this, they are not going to be willing to pay a large chunk of that salary that Kirk Cousins is owed. Which I think it’s over $27 million this year, and the $10 million bonus that would have to be checked into next season as part of the deal. Unless the Falcons are able to eat the majority of that money, I don’t think Kirk Cousins and the Steelers are a match.”

The Steelers have a roster ready to contend for another playoff spot if they can get the quarterback position right

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Unfortunately, since Ben Roethlisberger retired, Pittsburgh has not had stability at the sport's most important position. And that's a significant problem, specifically for a franchise in the same division as Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow. The Steelers are coming off their fourth playoff appearance in five years under their future Hall of Fame head coach, but the franchise has not won a playoff game since 2016.

Overall, 2025 feels like a very consequential year for this organization as it looks to take that good-to-great jump. Kirk Cousins would undoubtedly be an upgrade at quarterback, but it remains to be seen if he would be the one to make Pittsburgh into a Super Bowl contender again. Time will tell, but this is not an ideal predicament for a franchise widely praised for its stability.