Not Aaron Rodgers? Steelers Urged to Make Blockbuster QB Trade

In a reality where Aaron Rodgers eludes the Pittsburgh Steelers, they could gauge the San Francisco 49ers' willingness to discuss a blockbuster trade for a second offseason in a row.

While the Steelers were unable to pull Brandon Aiyuk away from the Bay Area last summer, they could attempt to make amends by pursuing quarterback Brock Purdy.

Likely the most notable Mr. Irrelevant of all-time, Purdy has come a long way since he was taken with the last pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

Over 40 career games for the Niners, he's thrown for 9,518 yards, 64 touchdowns and 27 interceptions. Purdy was a Pro Bowler in 2023 and finished fourth in MVP voting after throwing for 4,280 yards and 31 touchdowns, though his play dropped off this past season.

Coming off a 3,864-yard, 20-touchdown and 12-interception showing that also saw San Francisco fall well short of its Super Bowl expectations with a 6-11 record, perhaps the organization could look to move on from him.

If that's the case, former cornerback and current ESPN analyst Jason McCourty believes the Steelers should reach out to the 49ers in hopes of swinging a deal.

“Now if you’re the Pittsburgh Steelers, you’ve already traded for DK Metcalf, and gave him a big contract,” McCourty said on "Get Up". “You need to have somebody to throw the ball to them. If you’re the Steelers, why not think about calling up the 49ers and John Lynch and saying ‘I don’t know where you guys are at right now. give us a shot at Brock Purdy.’ We’ll let him be able to distribute to all the weapons we have here in Pittsburgh.”

Purdy is entering the final year of his rookie contract, meaning the countdown has officially begun. The 25-year-old probably won't reset the quarterback market, but it's fair to assume that he'll still ultimately slot in amongst the highest-paid players at the position.

NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported last week that while an extension isn't imminent, San Francisco is ensuring they're ready to hammer out an agreement when and if the time comes.

“I don’t get the sense that it’s imminent, imminent. But it’s always coming,” Rapoport said on "The Pat McAfee Show". “So teams do budgeting on out, they know it’s coming and they do have to account for it. What the number is going to be is interesting.”

Though the expectation is that they'll eventually come to terms, there's no reason for Pittsburgh to not try and get involved if negotiations between the 49ers and Purdy don't gain steam.

He has the makings of a franchise signal caller as someone who operates well both in and outside of the pocket, and he'd finally carry the Steelers out of quarterback purgatory.