Former Steelers Exec Says Team Considered Picking Aaron Rodgers in 2005 NFL Draft

Aaron Rodgers could have been a Pittsburgh Steeler from the jump.

The 41-year-old is officially a Steeler in his 21st season in the NFL, but former Pittsburgh pro personnel director Doug Whaley told 93.7 The Fan that as the No. 24 pick in the 2005 draft slid, the team was closely watching.

"We wouldn’t have had to [trade up]," Whaley said (h/t Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). "We would’ve just sat there. We had him higher than that. We were surprised he was slipping."

The Steelers didn’t have a pick until No. 30 in the 2005 draft, when they selected tight end Heath Miller.

They had already taken quarterback Ben Roethlisberger with the No. 11 overall pick the year before — a move that paid off, as he went on to lead the team to two Super Bowl titles.

The Rodgers vs. Roethlisberger battle was one of the most well-known quarterback rivalries of the 2000s, so the idea of the Steelers possibly adding Rodgers to their roster in 2005 raises eyebrows — and sparks plenty of “what if” scenarios in the reshaping of NFL history.