Steelers reportedly will pivot from Aaron Rodgers to Kirk Cousins only in this scenario

A recent report indicated that the Pittsburgh Steelers will not have any real interest in signing former Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins in the event that Aaron Rodgers decides to retire this spring. 

During a Thursday appearance on Pittsburgh sports radio station 93.7 The Fan, Steelers reporter Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hinted that the club views Cousins as only a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option. 

Kirk Cousins the last-choice QB option for Steelers? 

"If they are absolutely stuck, and he's the only guy out there, obviously, yeah, if you can get him on the cheap," Fittipaldo said about Pittsburgh possibly reaching out to Cousins, per Jake Brockhoff of Steelers Depot. "He never plays on the cheap, though. Maybe at this stage in his career, he'd...come in and play for $10M or $15M if they're stuck. But I don't think that's the first option."

Rodgers reportedly could let the Steelers know whether or not he will return to the team for another season "at some point before the draft" and maybe before the "end of this month." Meanwhile, Cousins may be willing to wait "through the offseason for some team's situation to change in his favor." 

The Las Vegas Raiders are reportedly interested in signing Cousins to have him serve as a mentor for Fernando Mendoza, who is expected to join the Raiders as the first overall pick of this year's draft. Raiders minority owner Tom Brady may prefer that first-year head coach Klint Kubiak start a veteran such as Cousins over Mendoza.

Why the Steelers seemingly aren't interested in Kirk Cousins

"Didn't (recently hired Steelers head coach) Mike McCarthy say mobility is important in his opening news conference?" Fittipaldo added about the Steelers' quarterback situation. "Uh, yeah. Listen, I understand that Aaron isn't mobile. But Aaron, at this stage of his career, is still more mobile than Kirk Cousins."

The Steelers allegedly are comfortable with having longtime backup Mason Rudolph and 2025 sixth-round draft pick Will Howard as the top quarterbacks on their depth chart at the start of springtime workouts if Rodgers remains unsigned through early April. As long as Cousins is still available, Steelers general manager Omar Khan doesn't have to make any final decision about possibly acquiring the 37-year-old.