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Soon, for the first time since the 49ers passed on Aaron Rodgers in the 2005 NFL Draft, they'll be able to sign him if they want him.
Should they want him?
Former Packers wide receiver and current Fox Sports analyst James Jones says absolutely the 49ers should want to sign Rodgers once the Jets release him and he becomes a free agent.
"The Vikings, the Steelers, the Niners -- I think those are the teams at the top of the list that should want him," said Jones. "Aaron had almost 4,000 yards passing and 28 touchdowns, and that's coming off of an Achilles injury. I know that the wins didn't add up there at the Jets, but it wasn't like Aaron Rodgers stunk the place up. Aaron Rodgers can still play football at a high level. If I'm the Vikings, the Niners or the Steelers, I'm definitely picking up the phone."
Even though Rodgers will turn 32 in December, he could conceivably play better next season than he did this past season because he will be another year removed from his Achilles tear. And even last season when he couldn't really move, he still threw 8 more touchdown passes than Brock Purdy who finished the season with just 20. Rodgers never has thrown fewer than 25 touchdown passes in a season in which he started at least 10 games.
In addition, any team that signs Rodgers most likely will get Davante Adams as well -- they seem to be a package deal. And the 49ers certainly could use Adams to fill the void left by Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk.
If Brock Purdy won't settle for a penny less than $60 million per season, they should sign Rodgers and let Purdy be his backup.
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Steelers Exec Hints at WR Addition
The Pittsburgh Steelers have a few weeks until their regular season begins against the New York Jets. The Week 1 matchup is defined by the quarterback battle set to occur between Aaron Rodgers and Justin Fields. As the two quarterbacks try to outlast their former teams, the Steelers must resolve a much bigger issue. The number two wide receiver spot is wide open on the Steelers' depth chart. Calvin Austin III, expected to be the second receiver when the season opens, hasn't practiced since August 1st under the lights and a full St. Vincent College crowd. Second-year pass-catcher Roman Wilson has continued to show flashes of brilliance separated by mediocrity, meaning he can't grab onto the second spot on the depth chart either. Without someone stepping up and claiming that role, Steelers general manager Omar Khan may be forced to add a receiver before the regular season begins. While that isn't the intention, Steelers assistant general manager Andy Weidl recently told the media that a trade can't be ruled out. Weidl was asked about the group's performance through this portion of the preseason. His response shed light on the team's evaluation of players like Wilson and Austin leading up to Week 1. "We’re good there, watching these guys grow and develop," he told reporters. "We’re always going to keep an eye on them. When a player becomes available, as we talked about last year, we always do our due diligence. That’s our job. Any player that becomes available in any position in the league, that’s on us. We have to know the player. If it’s the right player at the right price, we’ll look at it,” What is complicating the matter further is the injury concerns at another position. The calls for another top-tier pass-catcher were mitigated for a bit when the team acquired Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith from the Miami Dolphins. The combination of Smith, Pat Freiermuth and Darnell Washington is a trio that should erase the need for another player on the outside to catch the ball. But Smith hasn't participated fully in a practice since arriving in Pittsburgh. At their most recent joint practice with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ahead of their preseason contest, Smith was in street clothes on the sidelines. For the Steelers to determine if they truly need a wide receiver, they must first get Jonnu Smith healthy and participating in the offense. Until then, the need for another offensive option remains at the top of the Steelers' priority list. As Weidl suggested, the team remains high on the player already in the locker room. That said, it won't stop the Steelers from making another major move if the fit and price is right before Week 1 of the regular season.
Big Brawl Ignited By Unexpected Steelers Player As Things Got Heated With Buccaneers
The Pittsburgh Steelers hosted the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a joint practice at Acrisure Stadium on Thursday ahead of the two team's second preseason game on Saturday. The game this weekend won't feature a ton of starters from either side, so the scrimmage was the best opportunity to see what the matchup looked like with both team's starters on the field. Unfortunately, local media was not allowed to report much from the practice session, but it did come out that Pittsburgh struggled on defense, and a little brawl broke out between the two sides at one point. Practices ahead of the season always get heated, and while the Steelers were in Latrobe, the team had its fair share of inter-squad brawls. However, things especially get chippy during joint practices. This has been seen around the NFL going on every week, and most of them have some fireworks. That was the case on Thursday for Pittsburgh, as punter Cam Johnston picked a fight with Tampa Bay during a special teams period. A lot of the special teamers for Pittsburgh got in on the action during practice, as Johnston, Christian Kuntz, and Corliss Waitman all got involved in the brawl. It has been said that Johnston was not happy with how close a defender was to hitting his plant leg on a punt, which is not something you want to see, let alone during a practice period. It is definitely understandable why Johnston would have the reaction that he did during practice on Thursday. It is the same exact scenario that ended his 2024 season during the first game of the year. A blocker was rushed back into him while he was punting, and he suffered major damage to his knee that he has spent the last year rehabbing. He does not want an instance like that happening again, especially not during practice. Johnston finds himself in the middle of a position battle with Waitman, who happens to be the player that was able to pull him out of the fight during practice. Both punters will likely have starting jobs somewhere during the 2025 season, with Johnston being the favorite to stay in Pittsburgh. Waitman filled in nicely in 2024, and he has made a name for himself within punting circles in the league. The organization might look to trade one of the punters, which would probably end up being Waitman due to his lower salary. Steelers Seemed To Struggle In Joint Practice With Buccaneers As mentioned, reporting during practice was not allowed on Thursday, but it seems like Pittsburgh struggled when going up against Tampa Bay, especially in the two-minute drill. The defense had issues dealing with the talented wide receiver room of the Buccaneers, and the offense struggled to get anything going outside of a dominant seven shots period. Things are going to need to improve mightily before the regular season begins at the start of September, because after just one joint practice, this team seems like it might be more of the same of what has been seen in years past. Pittsburgh went all-in on winning during the 2025 offseason as it made significant upgrades on both sides of the football. Those upgrades don't seem to be paying off quite yet, but there is still a ton of time for that to change as the organization prepares for its second preseason game of 2025.
Flawed NFL arbitration process under scrutiny after Jon Gruden, Brian Flores rulings
It's a good thing for the NFL that it uses a shield as its logo, because this week, the league needed protection. The courts handed NFL commissioner Roger Goodell a second defeat since Monday with a ruling in Minnesota Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores' anti-discrimination lawsuit against the league. On Thursday, per ESPN, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan upheld a previous ruling in Flores' case, originally filed on Feb. 1, 2022, allowing it to proceed to trial. In a written statement, the appeals court blasted the NFL's arbitration process, which allows Goodell to make decisions unilaterally, saying "It offends basic presumptions of our arbitration jurisprudence." The judges also argued that the NFL's process equates to "arbitration in name only." It was the second time this week that Goodell's role as chief arbiter has come under scrutiny in U.S. courts. On Monday, the Nevada Supreme Court described the NFL's argument that Jon Gruden's lawsuit should be handled through arbitration led by Goodell as "unconscionable." In his original claim, Gruden alleged the NFL and Goodell leaked emails to the press, which led to his resignation as head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders in October 2021. The dual rulings against the league are the biggest hits its flawed arbitration process has taken. It's never made sense for the commissioner to arbitrate matters he's already decided after handing down punishments. Those situations should be left to an impartial party. Goodell was granted his unlimited authority in the 2011 collective bargaining agreement, which positioned him as the NFL's judge, jury and executioner. The Gruden and Flores developments are illustrative of the fact that the league and NFLPA went too far in granting Goodell such wide-sweeping authority. The recent court rulings acknowledge the flaw in the NFL's system. That shield just added a few more dents.
Jimmy Garoppolo's pass to Davante Adams draws attention for wrong reasons
Jimmy Garoppolo and Davante Adams have been reunited on the Los Angeles Rams, and the star receiver may have nightmares over one throw that came his way on Thursday. The Rams and New Orleans Saints held a joint training camp practice on Thursday. At one point during an 11-on-11 scrimmage, Garoppolo floated a pass toward Adams into traffic over the middle of the field. Adams did not make the catch, and for good reason. He was between three defenders and was fortunate that hitting was not allowed. Otherwise, he probably would have gotten throttled. It is possible that Garoppolo threw the pass knowing Adams was not going to be hit by a defender. The veteran quarterback would probably think twice about making a throw like that during an actual game — or so Adams hopes. Adams was one of the players featured on the Netflix documentary series "Receivers" last year. During one of the episodes, Adams was shown ranting about Garoppolo when the two were teammates on the Raiders. Adams was heard saying he needed to get out of Las Vegas "before I lose my (expletive) life." The six-time Pro Bowl receiver also said he had "never been hit this many (expletive) times in my career." Garoppolo is now the backup with the Rams and has been taking first-team reps while Matthew Stafford nurses a back injury. Adams said in an interview last month that he loves Garoppolo and chalked any previous issues up to everyone being "pretty miserable" when the Raiders were losing. The Rams are hoping Stafford will be fully healthy by Week 1. If he is not, Garoppolo may have to play. The quarterback had better get those so-called "hospital balls" out of his system in training camp.
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