Florio: Steelers Should ‘Roll the Dice’ on Shedeur Sanders over Aaron Rodgers
There was speculation that Aaron Rodgers would announce he’s signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers at Pat McAfee’s sold out Big Night AHT event at PPG Paints Arena last Wednesday, but that did not come to pass.
The next soft deadline appears to be the 2025 NFL Draft. With the saga continuing to drag along, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is starting to wonder if Rodgers even wants to play in Pittsburgh.
“The longer this takes, I start to wonder if this does happen at all. There is a point where it gets to be too awkward. And I don’t know that Aaron Rodgers appreciates or understands this from the outside perspective,” Florio said on PFT Live. “It’s been three weeks now since he made his out-of-the-blue, six-hour visit to Pittsburgh. There’s a point where it just feels like the moment has passed.”
Florio thinks the Steelers are better off pivoting to Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders. At least he’s young and has upside.
“I want to roll the dice on the younger guy and see what he can do, because I might just have the next guy,” Florio said. “The Steelers have had Terry Bradshaw, long pause, Ben Roethlisberger, and now they’re hoping for a short pause. If it can be Shedeur Sanders next, so be it.
“I think it’s better to take the chance than get caught up in the lore of what Aaron Rodgers, at 41, could do for you.”
Florio makes a valid point, as the 41-year-old Rodgers might be washed. Warren Sharp of Sharp Football also pointed that out. He’s surprised that the Steelers are being held hostage by Rodgers, as Russell Wilson put up better numbers in several key categories last season.
The Steelers welcomed Sanders to the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex last Thursday, ahead of the 2025 NFL Draft in two weeks.
“I enjoyed my time here in Pittsburgh. I think I connected well with all the coaches, and it was real fun,” he said on Up & Adams.
When asked for a grade on the visit, he gave it a 10.
“I understand the mindset and why they win a lot,” he said.
He attributed that to the franchise’s culture and said that Mike Tomlin has a lot to do with it.
“What he preaches from his staff down is similar to my dad,” he said.
Shedeur’s father Deion was his head coach throughout college at Jackson State and Colorado. He’s also in the Pro Football Hall of Fame and considered one of the best cornerbacks in the history of the NFL.
Coach Prime also was known to play with a lot of swagger. And Shedeur Sanders certainly has that same kind of self-confidence.