A few weeks after stating on his podcast that he wouldn’t be going on any darkness retreats in an effort to recruit at the quarterback position, Pittsburgh Steelers captain Cameron Heyward said Thursday during a live episode of his podcast from Green Bay that he doesn’t know if Aaron Rodgers is ever going to be a Steeler.
Heyward’s comments came before the Steelers made their first-round pick Thursday night, selecting Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon and passing on Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders in the process.
Previously, when shooting down the possibility of going on a darkness retreat with Rodgers, Heyward had a pointed comment, stating that you either want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, or you don’t. That led to plenty of headlines and attention regarding Heyward and his stance on Rodgers, but that stance has softened in recent weeks.
On Thursday, Heyward preached patience when it comes to the four-time NFL MVP and his future in football.
“No, nothing has happened. I think we’ve talked about it a little bit. I don’t think we give enough patience to people. I think in this day and age with social media and everything, we kind of just expect an answer right there, right now,” Heyward said when asked for an update on the Rodgers situation, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “And I don’t know where this is gonna end. I don’t know if he’s ever gonna be a Steeler. I don’t know if he’s already a Steeler, but I think, let’s just show some patience.
The man said he has things going on his private life and I’d like to keep his private his private life.”
Patience is fine and all. That’s what the Steelers have exceedingly shown throughout the process. But at some point — and soon — they need an answer from Rodgers. Based on a report from NFL insider Josina Anderson late Thursday night, the Steelers asked Rodgers for an answer before the draft, and know the answer to that request, though Anderson didn’t follow up and reveal further information in her reporting.
Based on the Steelers passing on Sanders and plugging a giant hole along their defensive line, one can assume that Rodgers told them Steelers is going to play for them, though there is no guarantee of that until he signs the contract that been on the table for weeks.
For now, Heyward seems willing to continue to wait for the veteran quarterback.
“I guess,” Heyward added when asked if he was willing to wait.
Some point soon, Rodgers needs to sign, or the Steelers need to move on. The avenues forward without Rodgers aren’t all that enticing, whether that’s trading for Falcons QB Kirk Cousins, or Seattle’s Sam Howell. But there are some veteran QBs available to help round out the room with Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson and a presumed draft pick at the position.
It’s understandable that Rodgers has some things going on in his personal life that he’s focused on, but he also needs to give his potential team an answer so that it can proceed forward during the busy NFL cycle. That patience is wearing thin.
Check out the full episode of the “Not Just Football with Cam Heyward” podcast below.
