Aaron Rodgers, who will be 42 years young in just a couple of weeks, has looked better in 2025 than he did in 2024. But he’s not fooling anyone about his age. Surely, at least, not the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Some may say 40 is the new 30 in the NFL, but there is a limit.
Mike Tomlin, Omar “The Khan Artist” Khan, and company must be considering post-Rodgers life. Tomlin says that the Steelers are going for gold every year, but 2025 is unlikely to end in a Lombardi for the Steel City. The question of the QB position in 2026 and beyond needs to be answered.
Luckily, a situation out in the desert may have already provided them with a slightly risky, yet very intriguing, answer.
The Arizona Cardinals have set starter Kyler Murray aside in favor of backup Jacoby Brissett. Young star out, grizzled career backup in. While head coach Jonathan Gannon didn’t explicitly bench Murray, he said that even if Murray was healthy, Brissett would have started in Week 10 prior to Murray’s addition to the injured reserve.
And that means the Cardinals are very likely to shop Murray around this offseason, as Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay suggested in his offseason trade predictions.
“While the Cardinals should be able to gain some draft capital by dealing Murray away, they would be hard-pressed to return a pick in range to land someone like Fernando Mendoza or Ty Simpson … It's more likely the team will land a late-Day 1 pick or several Day 2 picks in exchange for the two-time Pro Bowler.”
The Kyler Murray trade is already being spoken about as a foregone conclusion. And that really doesn’t seem far-fetched considering Murray’s situation there in Arizona. The price also seems very reasonable if the team trading for Murray thinks he still has franchise QB potential.
Murray has had a rough few years with the Cardinals. He’s had injuries, poor play, and off-field rumors that questioned his work ethic. He hasn’t had a “good” season since 2021. So, why would the Steelers want him?
Because Pittsburgh has a roster that is a real Super Bowl contender with the right QB. But they haven’t had a QB of this caliber since Ben Roethlisberger tore up his elbow in 2019. A field general with Murray’s pedigree, still in his athletic prime at 28 years old, and seeking redemption after being traded by his old team could open up a new gear of the Steelers' offense that hasn't been seen since the "Killer B's" era.
Let’s not forget, Murray is a Heisman Trophy winner, former No. 1 overall pick, NFL Rookie of the Year, and two-time Pro Bowler who can toss it a mile and run like the wind.
He just needs a fresh start, some belief, maybe some structure, and a team that needs him as well. Say what you will about Tomlin and the Steelers' recent run of mediocrity, they are one of few teams that can check all of those boxes.