Though Aaron Rodgers spoke his peace last week, his continued waiting won’t impact what the Pittsburgh Steelers do – or don’t do – at quarterback starting Thursday night. Sitting down with Steelers.com’s Missi Matthews, GM Omar Khan confirmed Rodgers’ latest remarks won’t change the Steelers’ draft plan.
“Doesn’t really impact what we do in the draft,” Khan told Matthews in a pre-recorded interview shared Thursday evening on the team’s YouTube channel. “We’ve obviously had conversations in public and he knows how we feel and we know how he feels. And obviously, the conversations have continued.”
It echoes a sentiment shared by head coach Mike Tomlin during the team’s Tuesday presser. Rodgers joined the Pat McAfee Show to counter months of rumors and speculation. Focused on his personal life, Rodgers is in no hurry to make a decision and has told teams of his mindset. Khan’s comments hint the Steelers still have plenty of interest, and reports indicate the team remains confident Rodgers will eventually sign.
Pittsburgh did homework on virtually every top quarterback prospect in the 2025 class excluding Miami (FL)’s Cam Ward, the consensus No. 1 pick. In recent weeks, they’ve been heavily linked to Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders, though it remains unclear if the team will actually select him if available at No. 21. If not, the a Day Two option, even trading up, is reportedly possible.
Rodgers and a draft pick are separate conversations. Rodgers’ mission would be to help the Steelers win now, a franchise without a playoff victory since 2016. A draft pick would be handed the baton for 2026 and beyond as the long-term solution to replace Ben Roethlisberger.
In this interview and others, Khan repeated his goal of bringing four quarterbacks to training camp. Currently, they have two: Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. The team’s mission will be to add another pair. Perhaps it’ll be Rodgers and a rookie, on the same team but to serve two distinct purposes.
