Insider Reveals New Details on Steelers QB Hunt

ESPN insider Adam Schefter has set the record straight on the Pittsburgh Steelers' quarterback pursuit this offseason.

After stating that Aaron Rodgers was the Steelers' third option at the position last week behind Matthew Stafford and Justin Fields, Schefter came back around and offered further clarification on the sequence of events over the past few months.

"It really was as much chronological as it was anything else," he said on the 97.1 The Fan's 'Rothman & Ice'. "They started in the offseason, and the initial calls were about acquiring Matthew Stafford and they had conversations with the Rams about trading for him ... And once it didn't get done, they continued during that time talking with Justin Fields. Obviously stepped up efforts to get a deal done with Fields.

"They could not get a deal done, either because they were only willing to go to a certain price, or because to your point, he felt like, 'Here's a team that benched me. Why do I want to go back to a team that benched me?' ... I think he felt like it was in his best interest to move on, and that's exactly what he did."

The Los Angeles Rams granted Stafford and his camp permission to speak with other teams to gauge his market value back in February. The Steelers, Las Vegas Raiders and New York Giants all made a push to acquire the 37-year-old, though he instead agreed to a reworked deal with the Rams that'll net him $80 million over the next two seasons alongside a $4 million roster bonus that he was awarded in March.

Pittsburgh subsequently turned its full attention to Fields, who was its preferred option among its incument signal callers over Russell Wilson.

As Schefter noted, however, the two sides couldn't come to terms on a new contract after Fields seemed to have some reservations about re-signing with the Steelers after they benched him upon Wilson's return from injury in Week 7 last season. He instead hit the open market and joined the New York Jets on a two-year, $40 million deal.

Pittsburgh then identified Rodgers, who was released by the Jets, as its top remaining quarterback option. While it took right around three months for the four-time MVP to sign his one-year deal with the team, he's in the building for mandatory minicamp and should help the Steelers contend in 2025.

Schefter reiterated once again that Rodgers wasn't always the organization's No. 1 choice, though that was more so a product of the offseason's timeline rather than any hesitancy on their end to bring him into the fold.

"In the sequence it went, he wound up being the third option," he said. "They didn't jump out of the gate initially on Aaron Rodgers. They were all-in on Stafford, it didn't get done. They shifted their focus to Fields, it didn't get done. They then went on to Aaron Rodgers. That's the way it came down."