The reason Aaron Rodgers has not signed with the Steelers may simply be that he doesn’t believe they’re good enough. At 41 years old, with a Super Bowl ring, numerous MVPs, and a future bust in Canton, he has nothing to prove. So if a one-and-done Steelers postseason run is all he can muster, he may simply retire.
This isn’t the newest overture, but the timing is intriguing, given where we are. For some time now, the Steelers have been the only team to pursue Aaron Rodgers. For some time now, they have had a contract on the table, the terms of which are reportedly agreeable. So why wouldn’t he have signed yet? Perhaps he simply doesn’t want to play for a team with no future.
This was the sentiment conveyed by CBS reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala during her regular spot on 93.7 The Fan yesterday. After having spoken to numerous people around the league, and through her own direct conversations with Rodgers at the end of last season, the possibility of Rodgers choosing retirement over playing for the Steelers is very real.
“Aaron Rodgers may not necessarily have the appetite for an offseason program and having to marshal through a new culture, help new teammates, help young teammates, push people along”, she said. “There are a lot of people that feel”, she added, that “Aaron Rodgers is more likely to retire than he is to come to a team that he doesn’t believe is a Super Bowl contender”, and few would consider the Steelers one.
The possibility of Aaron Rodgers choosing retirement over the Steelers is not a new narrative. In fact, that specter has hung over this story since virtually the very beginning. Adam Schefter weeks ago relayed that there are some who wonder if he would choose to retire. And frankly, the longer he goes without signing, the more plausible that sounds.
And quite possibly, the only reason Rodgers hasn’t retired yet is due to the hope of a better opportunity. Perhaps he hasn’t completely dismissed the possibility of playing for the Steelers. Perhaps he will feel stronger about their chances of contending this year after the draft, for example. But perhaps he is simply hoping that the Vikings change their mind.
“The Vikings were so appealing because”, Kinkhabwala said, in contrast to the Steelers, in Rodgers’ mind, “that’s a team that’s ready to make a run at a Super Bowl.…That’s a team that Aaron Rodgers could slide into and, in theory, take them to the Super Bowl”.
Just a couple weeks ago, with reports about the Vikings no longer currently mulling Rodgers, we saw reports that it was basically down to the Steelers or retirement. This is just another data point signaling that same hypothesis. He did look pretty cozy wandering around on that beach.
