NFL analyst opens door to Kirk Cousins joining Steelers

Kirk Cousins and Aaron Rodgers are two of the lingering pieces to the quarterback puzzle this offseason. With Russell Wilson now on the New York Giants' roster, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the last team seemingly in need of a Week 1 starter at QB. Aaron Rodgers has been taking his time with his decision.

Speaking on a March 31 edition of Pro Football Talk, NFL analyst Mike Florio explained how a situation could emerge where Cousins is traded after the NFL Draft.

"I think it's very real that he could be traded after the draft, and that could be the fallback for the Steelers," the analyst said. "'We get through the draft, we don't get a guy we like, Rodgers still hasn't made a decision, or he tells us, 'Hey, you know what? This isn't going to happen.'' Boom, trade for Kirk Cousins, and he becomes the answer in Pittsburgh for at least one year, maybe two."

Florio also pointed to how the Atlanta Falcons haven't restructured Cousins's cap hit yet, which indicates that they may be waiting to push that financial burden on another team.

"If you trade him, you move the full $27.5 (million) to a new team," Florio said. "The fact that they haven't done it (the restructure first) tells me that they are letting this play out. I think it's very real, he could be traded after the draft."

How Kirk Cousins could fit with Steelers post-2025 NFL Draft

Kirk Cousins during Atlanta Falcons at Las Vegas Raiders - Source: Imagn

Kirk Cousins is reportedly waiting to see what the teams do in the NFL Draft before he waives his no-trade clause. As such, this suggests that the quarterback is waiting to see if the Pittsburgh Steelers draft Jaxson Dart in the first round, as many mock drafts have predicted.

If the Steelers draft Dart and still end up with Cousins after he waives his no-trade clause, it would create a quarterback competition between Cousins, Dart, Mason Rudolph, and Skylar Thompson, in which case, Cousins could be safe from release based on his contract and resources spent to acquire him.

However, he would still need to beat out the rookie because the other alternative would be to essentially retire from the NFL once the Falcons decide to trade him if he waives his no-trade clause first.