Russell Wilson Rumors: QB Views Giants as More 'Viable Option' Than Steelers in NFL FA

As the entire NFL world patiently waits for Aaron Rodgers to take his time making a decision regarding the 2025 season, Russell Wilson reportedly isn't locked in as the Pittsburgh Steelers' fallback plan.

"I'm told that Aaron Rodgers has standing offers from both the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants, so it's up to him to decide," ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said during a Wednesday appearance on SportsCenter. "This is his first foray into free agency in 20 years, so really nobody outside of his inner circle knows exactly what to expect. I get the sense, although this is fluid, the sense that Pittsburgh is willing to wait this out a little bit. Rodgers is their top target, so they'll see where it goes.

"... They got Russell Wilson still as sort of a contingency, but he's sort of been number two, number three on their list all along, and so I'm told that Russell Wilson sees the Giants as more of a viable option for him throughout this process."

If Rodgers is solely focusing on going where he has the best chance to win in 2025, he will choose the Steelers over the Giants and the AFC North team won't have to worry about its fallback plan.

After all, Pittsburgh is coming off a second straight playoff appearance and has DK Metcalf and George Pickens as weapons in the aerial attack. New York was 3-14 last season, although it would allow the future Hall of Famer to remain in the Big Apple after playing for the Jets the last two years.

Wilson offers a similar option to Rodgers for both teams, as he is a veteran signal-caller who was once among the league's best but is past his peak at this stage of his career.

That the Steelers may not be locked in on the Wisconsin product as a backup option should they fail in their Rodgers pursuit is somewhat telling, as they are more than familiar with what he brings to the table seeing how he started 11 games for them last season.

If they were thrilled with Wilson as an option, they likely would have simply brought him back and not gone after Rodgers.

Should Rodgers go to the Giants or elsewhere, Pittsburgh may have to pivot beyond Wilson. It could attempt to trade for a quarterback such as Kirk Cousins or perhaps look toward the draft and some of the secondary options outside of Cam Ward and Shedeur Sanders.

That could allow Mason Rudolph—who started 13 games for the Steelers from 2019 through 2023—to be a bridge quarterback until the rookie is ready to potentially take over down the line.

It is all contingent on Rodgers' decision-making process, though, which has dragged on well into free agency.