Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Reunion Between Aaron Rodgers, Packers WR With Elite Talent Floated for Pittsburgh

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Max Dible | Last updated Jun 13, 2025 10:14 AM ET

The Green Bay Packers were among the best offenses in the league year in and year out when Aaron Rodgers was at the helm, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are trying to recapture a little of that magic with a home-run swing in 2025.

A four-time MVP, the former Super Bowl-winning quarterback will play next season at 42 years old, and it may well prove to be his last in the NFL. Pittsburgh went for broke by inking Rodgers to a one-year contract in hopes of making a deep playoff push by improving the offense enough to keep pace with an aging -- yet still daunting -- defense that has carried the franchise ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 campaign.

The Steelers made two significant moves in the wide receiver room this offseason ahead of Rodgers' arrival, though likely also in anticipation of it. First, the team traded a second-round pick as the centerpiece of a deal with the Seattle Seahawks that brought back multiple-time Pro Bowler DK Metcalf. Pittsburgh then signed him to a four-year extension worth $132 million.

The Steelers next dealt wideout George Pickens and a sixth-round pick to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a future third-rounder and fifth-rounder. And while that move rids the offense of the redundancies that Metcalf and Pickens presented, as well as Pickens' sometimes difficult locker room persona, it has left a void at the No. 2 spot in Pittsburgh's receiver room.

Cody Benjamin of CBS Sports suggested on June 9 that the Steelers fill that void by dealing for Christian Watson, a former second-round pick with elite speed who played his rookie campaign alongside Rodgers in Green Bay.

"Watson may well be the most gifted player in the Packers' wide receiver room, but there's a reason Green Bay spent two early draft picks at the position this April; the 26-year-old veteran has missed multiple games due to injury in each of his first three NFL seasons, giving the Pack a true boom-or-bust experience on the perimeter," Benjamin wrote. "With both Matthew Golden and Savion Williams in line for significant roles as rookies, might the Packers be willing to sell Watson as he recovers from an ACL tear?"

Watson has produced 98 catches for 1,653 yards and 14 touchdowns through the air across 38 games played. He has also rushed the football 15 times for 114 yards and two scores.

The wideout, who will play in 2025 at 26 years old, is entering the final year of his $9.2 million rookie contract and will be an unrestricted free agent next summer.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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