Steelers To Target Kirk Cousins If Aaron Rodgers Doesn’t Return

Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom, citing league sources, reports that veteran QB Kirk Cousins is emerging as a “top option” for the Steelers if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t return for 2026. 

Rodgers is still mulling over whether to play next season or retire, while La Canfora writes that the team cannot afford to let him drag out the process. However, Pittsburgh is still unlikely to take a chance on some of the other free agent quarterbacks floating around. 

La Canfora adds that the Steelers are “legitimately high” on second-year QB Will Howard, who has also drawn praise from Rodgers. Ideally, Pittsburgh would pair Howard with a veteran quarterback once again. 

Cousins is expected to be released by the Falcons on the first day of the new league year, which is today. Last week, NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo said not to expect Cousins to rush to sign a new contract once he’s released.

Cousins, 37, is a former fourth-round pick of Washington back in 2012. He played out the final year of his rookie contract before being franchised in back-to-back seasons. 

Cousins later departed in free agency for a three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings. He was entering the final year of his contract in 2020 when he agreed to a two-year, $66 million contract extension. In 2021, he agreed to a new one-year, $35 million contract extension that was also fully guaranteed.

He was in the final year of that deal in 2023 and was testing the market as an unrestricted free agent when signing with the Falcons this offseason. He inked a four-year, $180 million contract with $100 million in guaranteed money. 

In 2025, Cousins appeared in 10 games for the Falcons, starting eight, and completed 61.7 percent of his passes for 1,721 yards, 10 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions.

We’ll have more on the Steelers and Cousins as the news is available.