The Pittsburgh Steelers are bringing in one of the top quarterback prospects in the draft for a pre-draft visit on Thursday in Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders. As the team continues to wait for an answer from free agent QB Aaron Rodgers, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport talked about what Sanders’ visit means relative to Rodgers.
“I don’t think this is a message to Aaron Rodgers. The Steelers don’t need to do that. But if it was, I would say the message is you are now on the clock. Because the Steelers have been very patient with Rodgers. Free agency was a thousand years ago. It was so freaking long ago,” Rapoport said Wednesday on Good Morning Football.
“By the Steelers bringing in Shedeur Sanders, they made two points. One, if Rodgers doesn’t come to the Steelers, they’re probably going to have to draft a quarterback somewhere. And the other part of this is like, ‘Rodgers, if you tell us after the draft, we’re gonna have to protect ourselves.’ So he’s a little bit on the clock too.”
Rodgers has waited and waited to make his decision. He visited the Steelers’ facility over two weeks ago, had a throwing session with DK Metcalf and has seen potential suitors like the New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings move on. If Rodgers wants to play football next season, it’ll more than likely be with the Steelers. And as Rapoport said, the Steelers have been patient waiting for him to make up his mind, but that patience could be running out.
Bringing in Sanders for a visit isn’t really a clear indicator of anything brewing one way or another with Rodgers. The Steelers are doing their due diligence on one of the top quarterbacks in the draft who has a chance at falling to their first-round selection at No. 21 overall. Even with Rodgers in the fold, the Steelers could still draft Sanders to develop and hopefully serve as the team’s quarterback of the future. But showing interest in a clear first-round quarterback likely will get Rodgers’ attention.
There’s no timeline for Rodgers to make a decision, but Steelers owner Art Rooney II said the team won’t “wait forever” for him to make up his mind. The draft feels like an appropriate timeline, and if Rodgers doesn’t sign by the draft, the chances of the Steelers investing in the quarterback market early in the draft shoot up.
It’s not a clear message to Aaron Rodgers right now, but Shedeur Sanders’ visit and interest from Pittsburgh could get interesting come draft night, especially if Rodgers hasn’t signed yet and Sanders winds up falling in the draft. Rodgers is almost certainly paying attention to what’s going on with the Steelers and the team expressing clear interest in Sanders could expedite his decision if he does want to come to Pittsburgh.
