Aaron Rodgers’ health may end up shaping more than just the Steelers’ weekly game plan. It could also decide whether Pittsburgh holds onto all four quarterbacks through the NFL trade deadline.
After four weeks, the Steelers sit at 2-2, coming off a rough Thursday Night Football loss to the now 3-1 Cleveland Browns. Rodgers may not be the superstar he once was, but he is still viewed as a dependable starter, and that matters because the Steelers have a few different paths behind him if things go sideways.
ESPN’s Dan Graziano thinks Mason Rudolph is the most likely name to come up in trade talks, and the key variable is whether Rodgers is still upright and available when November arrives.
"If something happens to Rodgers and he can't play, I believe Rudolph would take over," Graziano writes. "But if we get to early November and Rodgers is still healthy, the Steelers could get an offer that convinces them to move on from their longtime backup."
That’s the fork in the road for Pittsburgh. If Rodgers gets hurt and is expected to miss significant time, the Steelers would probably keep Rudolph along with their other quarterback options, Will Howard and Drew Allar.
But if Rodgers stays healthy, the roster math changes fast. Carrying four quarterbacks is not an ideal setup, and that could push Pittsburgh to listen if another team makes a strong enough offer.
In that scenario, Rudolph stands out as the cleanest trade candidate. He’s a veteran on a one-year deal, and he doesn’t carry the same long-term value as Howard or Allar. Those younger quarterbacks would be far less likely to move if Rodgers remains available.
So even if the Steelers are still winning by the deadline, Rudolph could be the odd man out. The bottom line is simple: if Rodgers is healthy, a fall trade involving Rudolph would not come as a shock.
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