Why Russell Wilson probably won't sign with a team before Aaron Rodgers does

The New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers both reportedly have former New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers as their first-choice option for the 2025 season as both Rodgers and former Steelers starter Russell Wilson remain unsigned. 

Wilson previously met with the Giants and Cleveland Browns, but Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland/The Land on Demand doesn't see the 36-year-old as a legitimate option for the AFC North side. 

"Wilson was an attractive candidate last season because he came at the bargain-basement price of the NFL minimum salary as a result of [the Denver Broncos] cutting him and eating a guaranteed $39M in salary," Grossi wrote for his latest piece. "The Steelers nabbed Wilson on the cheap. ...As a free agent this year, Wilson reportedly is looking for a $30M+ salary. That puts his marketability in a completely different place than when he cost the Steelers $1.2M."

Grossi added that he doesn't "at all" envision a scenario that involves Cleveland signing Wilson. 

The Steelers seemed to become the favorites to land Rodgers after it was reported on Wednesday morning that the Minnesota Vikings are "not pursuing" the 41-year-old. However, Ralph Vacchiano of Fox Sports and Dianna Russini of The Athletic later shared that the Vikings aren't yet fully "out" on Rodgers. 

"There's no real urgency for the Giants," Vacchiano added. "They'd be OK with any of their fallback options plus a QB in the draft. But there is some urgency for the 10-win Steelers. They can't afford to lose both Rodgers and Russell Wilson."

On Wednesday morning, ESPN's Jordan Raanan revealed that Wilson was interested in signing with the Giants "at the start of this offseason." With that said, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported this past Monday that Wilson's "preference is to re-sign with the Steelers."

Heading into Wednesday afternoon, it appeared that the Browns were out on both Wilson and Rodgers. Meanwhile, ESPN's Adam Schefter noted that Rodgers "is in no rush at all" to decide until the Vikings let him know whether or not they plan to enter training camp with 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy atop the depth chart. 

In short, Wilson may need either the Giants or Steelers to move on from Rodgers to find a new NFL home before April Fools' Day arrives.