One of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ AFC rivals may have an interest in Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers may have an interest in a gigantic offensive tackle in the draft. And the Pirates may have an interest in giving $100 million to a 19-year-old.

Also, we should all be interested in the Penguins-Lightning game Thursday. Significant playoff implications exist. We have a preview.

All that and more in “First Call” for Thursday.

Rocky Mountain why?

Part of the drama surrounding last year’s prolonged wait for Aaron Rodgers to sign in Pittsburgh was the perceived concern that Minnesota might swoop in and acquire him first.

The Vikings apparently had no such interest.

As this year’s sequel to the Rodgers waiting game has dragged on, no team has presented itself as a second option for Rodgers, if he might want to play elsewhere.

Until Wednesday, that is. That’s when ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio wrote that the Denver Broncos may be considering Rodgers.

“There’s talk of the Broncos possibly bringing Rodgers in for a visit,” Florio wrote. “The motivation comes from the possibility that current starter Bo Nix won’t be fully and completely back to 100 percent when Week 1 rolls around.”

Nix had ankle surgery following a fracture during the AFC playoffs in January. Florio also added that coach Sean Payton may be wondering if a fully healthy Rodgers could give Denver a better chance of winning a Super Bowl than a recovering Nix.

I don’t think he would. But if Florio wants to try to live in Payton’s brain, good luck with that.

Longtime Broncos reporter Mike Klis of 9 News in Colorado has a source that refutes the story. And team owner Greg Penner recently said that he had “no concerns” about Nix for OTAs in May.

Klis suggested Florio’s report was an April Fool’s joke.

Florio insisted in print that this wasn’t an April Fool’s gag. He reiterated that statement Wednesday afternoon on 93.7 The Fan. Florio added during the radio hit that he feels Rodgers’ most likely path is probably back to Pittsburgh, if he plays at all. He portrayed Denver as being a distant third bet.

As for the Steelers, the team keeps saying that Rodgers is expected to give them an answer about coming back before the draft, and new coach Mike McCarthy is making it sound like he is in frequent communication with Rodgers.

Guessing on Griffin

Not long after things seemed to cool on the rumor mill about Konnor Griffin getting a long-term contract from the Pittsburgh Pirates, that conversation suddenly spiked Wednesday.

ESPN.com’s Buster Olney is reporting that the franchise and Griffin’s representatives are “deep into negotiations.”

Griffin is only 19 and has yet to play a game in Major League Baseball. But the organization may be inclined to give him a nine-figure contract to buy him out through his arbitration years and have cost certainty on the books for when he does get called up.

According to Olney on Wednesday, “The two sides have been talking since early in spring training, sources told ESPN, and the Pirates’ proposals are closer in range to the eight-year, $111 million deal that Corbin Carroll signed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the spring of 2023. Griffin’s side, however, has been angling for something closer to Roman Anthony’s eight-year, $130 million deal that was forged with the Boston Red Sox in August, sources said.”

Griffin is currently at Triple-A Indianapolis, where he has seven hits in 16 at-bats to start the year.

The shortstop hit four home runs in 16 spring-training games before being relegated to the minors. He hit just .171 and totaled 13 strikeouts.

As Olney noted this week, other teams have spent time and money securing high-value prospects. The Seattle Mariners reached an eight-year, $95 million deal with Colt Emerson. He is expected to be promoted to the big leagues soon. The Milwaukee Brewers signed minor league prospect Cooper Pratt to an eight-year, $50.75 million agreement.

Big man from Memphis

For those who want the Steelers to bolster the offensive tackle position, they are taking a look at a rising prospect.

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Justin Melo of “NFL Draft on SI” reports the Steelers are hosting Memphis’ Travis Burke on a Top 30 visit.

The senior from Hollywood, Fla., is 6-foot-9, 325 pounds. Here is NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein’s assessment of Burke:

“A tall tackle with plus drive-blocking talent for his body type. He uses flexible hips and ankles, along with well-placed hands, to create leverage at the point of attack. He finishes blocks with good aggression when the opportunity arises,” Zierlein said. “A lack of short-area quickness limits his range as a run blocker and in pass protection. He’s scheme-dependent in the run game and will need help managing NFL edge speed, but strong hands allow for longer sustained control when he lands cleanly. There are areas of concern that might not be coachable, but Burke’s length and demeanor work in his favor.”

NFL.com has 18 tackles rated ahead of Burke. He’s played on both the left and right side and has even played some at guard. With 33 starts under his belt, Burke is well-traveled, having also stopped at Gardner-Webb and Florida International prior to his arrival at Memphis.

Lightning in a bottle

The latest playoff-worthy test for the Penguins will come Thursday night in Florida. They visit the Tampa Bay Lightning at 7 p.m.

This will be the seventh consecutive game for the Penguins against a team that is currently in — or right on the cusp of — a playoff spot. The Pens have claimed six of a possible 12 points in those games.

Both clubs are in second place of their respective divisions. The Lightning have 98 points, two back of Atlantic-leading Buffalo. The Pens have 92 points, eight behind Metropolitan Division-leading Carolina.

Like Pittsburgh, Tampa has won three of its past six outings, posting a 3-1-2 mark. Most recently, the Bolts dropped a 4-1 contest to Montreal at home Tuesday.

The Pens lost a 2-1 shootout versus Tampa Bay in Pittsburgh earlier this year, but won at Benchmark International Arena, 4-3. Former Penguin Jake Guentzel is second on the team with 81 points and 36 goals.