The Steelers’ draft is over — now where’s Aaron Rodgers?
The Pittsburgh Steelers did draft a quarterback, but if Aaron Rodgers were on the roster, he would be the starter. There is no dispute about that, but there is still the question of when—or whether—he signs. Currently, Pittsburgh has Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and rookie sixth-round pick Will Howard under contract, or soon to be.
While we might assume that Aaron Rodgers will sign with the Steelers, he did talk about retirement. Steelers brass reiterated during draft week that they still feel good about him signing, I should mention. But let’s accept that he intends to sign—when does that happen?
Many wondered if Rodgers might be waiting to see what the Steelers do at quarterback in the draft. If that were the case, then he should feel safe to sign now. As much as I like Will Howard, especially as a sixth-round pick, he’s not starting this year.
But was that even the hangup to begin with? It doesn’t jive with what he said, basically citing personal reasons, and even using the ‘R’ word—retirement, that is. Whenever a player is talking about retirement, you don’t count on him until he signs on the dotted line. And the Steelers are still waiting for Aaron Rodgers’ signature.
So when does he put pen to paper and suit up in the Black and Gold? Is he angling to skip OTAs? Mike Tomlin has sort of downplayed the value of the voluntary portion of the offseason this year, which feels like a concession to you know who. Perhaps the Steelers are essentially telling Rodgers he can skip OTAs if it gets him to sign.
Until Rodgers is here, though, the Steelers are moving forward with Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Skylar Thompson. All of them are new to the Arthur Smith offense, even if Rudolph knows the team well. So it’s not like they don’t have plenty of instructing to do while they wait for the Enigmatic One.
The Steelers are rebuilding, or reloading, whatever they feel the need to call it, after another disappointment last season. Though they limped into the playoffs, they once again embarrassed themselves therein.
Just like last year, the biggest question hanging over the Steelers is the quarterback question. While it looks like they are keeping George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now in place, so most of the roster construction is complete.
But we still have a long offseason ahead for Steelers football, or football in shorts. Certain will-he-or-won’t-he situations remain in play, which we continue to monitor. Now it’s about evaluating the roster in place and filling holes as we go.
