Steelers' 25-Year-Old Linked To Jets Fit If Aaron Rodgers Leaves

The Jets have a lot of questions to answer over the next few months

Aug 9, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers helmets on the bench during the game against the Houston Texans during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images | Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images

If the New York Jets are going to have to replace Aaron Rodgers this offseason, they should be taking a hard look at the Pittsburgh Steelers right now.

New York is in flux. The Jets had a tough 2024 season and now are on the outside looking in with the playoffs about to kick off. The Wild Card Round of the National Football League playoffs will kick off this weekend but the Jets aren't going to be taking the field.

The Jets finished the season with a 5-12 record and now are focused on filling the head coach and general manager positions. Once those two positions are taken care of, the quarterback spot and NFL Draft likely will be the team's next priorities.

Rodgers holds a lot of the cards right now. He said he was going to take some time away from football to determine if he wants to continue his career next year. He signed a three-year, $112.5 million deal and has another year left on the deal.

Even if Rodgers does return in 2025, he is 41 years old. Who is the team's long-term answer? The Jets have Tyrod Taylor, Jordan Travis, and Adrian Martinez on the depth chart but the team should look to add this offseason.

One player who was suggested as a fit by The Athletic's Zack Rosenblatt is Pittsburgh Steelers 25-year-old Justin Fields.

"In free agency, there are some intriguing options worth bringing in as competition for Taylor, not counting (Sam Darnold)," Rosenblatt said. "At the top of that list: Current Steelers backup Justin Fields, still only 25. He showed some flashes of improvement with Pittsburgh before Russell Wilson took over. Veterans like (Russell Wilson), Jameis Winston, Jacoby Brissett, Daniel Jones, and Cooper Rush will also hit free agency. Kirk Cousins could be available and the Jets have pursued him in the past, though he’s 36 and coming off his worst season."

Rosenblatt suggested Fields as an alternative to Rodgers, but he could make sense no matter what. The Steelers employed a similar strategy this season with Wilson and Fields both on the team. Maybe there's a world in which Rodgers returned in 2025 but Fields was the long-term answer for afterward.

He has a lot of talent and is just 25 years old. No matter what happens with Rodgers, it's worth looking into seeing what it would cost to bring Fields to town in 2025.

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