What Steelers' Planned Meeting With Shedeur Sanders Could Mean for Aaron Rodgers

Pittsburgh is set to meet with the Colorado quarterback on Thursday.

New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers throws a pass. / Kevin R. Wexler-NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders is expected to meet with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, which came as a shock to the NFL world for a couple reasons.

For one, Sanders has been projected to be drafted within the first few picks, or at least the top 10, and the Steelers hold the No. 21 selection. Another reason this visit seems odd is because the Steelers have been connected to signing Aaron Rodgers for most of the offseason.

So, what does this meeting with Sanders mean for the Steelers' decision about Rodgers? There might not even be a deeper meaning to it other than the team wanting to check out all their options, but NFL Network's Ian Rapoport guessed what the Steelers could be telling Rodgers by this news coming out.

"I don't think this is a message to Aaron Rodgers—the Steelers don't need to do that," Rapoport said. "But, if it was, I would say the message is 'You are now on the clock' because the Steelers have been very patient with Rodgers. ... The only real deadline is the draft. So, by the Steelers bringing in Shedeur Sanders, they made two points. One, if Rodgers doesn't come to the Steelers, they're probably going to have to draft a quarterback somewhere. And, the other part of this is like 'Rodgers, if you tell us after the draft, we're going to have to protect ourselves.'"

From @GMFB: Shedeur Sanders is set to visit the #Steelers. What does it mean for him and what does it mean for Aaron Rodgers? pic.twitter.com/XW38D5Klo5

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) April 9, 2025

The Steelers have remained steadfast that they plan to wait for Rodgers to make a decision about his 2025 season. But, it is getting closer to the NFL draft as it begins on Thursday, April 24. The Steelers only have Mason Rudolph in the quarterback room right now, and even though coach Mike Tomlin said he would be "comfortable" with Rudolph as the starter, Pittsburgh needs another strong option.

And, just because the Steelers are meeting with Sanders doesn't mean the team plans to draft him—They may not even have the opportunity to if he's selected by the Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns or New York Giants within the first three picks like he's been previously projected to. He's also been recently linked to the New Orleans Saints, who hold the No. 9 pick.

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