While the Minnesota Vikings are no longer pursuing Aaron Rodgers, seemingly leaving him with just two options in the Pittsburgh Steelers and the New York Giants, Rodgers isn’t going to make a decision any sooner, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
“Nothing related to Minnesota has altered Aaron Rodgers’ timeline,” Schefter tweeted on Wednesday. “One source monitoring Rodgers’ potential decision about the 2025 season said this morning that the free-agent QB still ‘is in no rush at all.’”
The sooner Rodgers makes a decision, the sooner the Steelers (and the Giants) can work on building the rest of their roster around their quarterback, be it Rodgers or someone else. The longer this drags on, the more difficult that becomes.
Retirement is still an option for Rodgers, and if he waits to make a decision and ends up retiring, the Steelers and Giants will be left with their thumb up their nose. Both teams have been patiently waiting for him to make a decision, but with it now just between two teams, it really shouldn’t be that difficult to decide where he wants to play in 2025. It could be more him deciding if he wants to play in 2025.
Ian Rapoport speculated that Rodgers could wait until the week of the 2025 NFL Draft, the last week of April, to make a decision. That could lead the Steelers to prioritize taking a quarterback in the draft, potentially in the third round. A first-round quarterback feels unlikely given that there isn’t expected to be a first-round talent available at No. 21, but it can’t be ruled out as long as the Steelers don’t have a firm solution under center.
Mason Rudolph is capable of starting, and the team is prepared for that possibility, but if the Steelers go into 2025 with Rudolph as their QB1, their quarterback plan should be called into serious question.
It seems as if the Rodgers’ waiting game will drag on, even with the Vikings cutting his list of potential teams from three to two. The longer the Steelers wait, the more likely their other options dry up as free agents sign elsewhere too, so a sooner decision benefits everyone. Aaron Rodgers, though, seems content dragging the process out, and the Steelers are along for the ride at this point.
