Speculation over the Aaron Rodgers hold-up has only mounted. Is he truly deciding on if he still loves football? Is he waiting on the schedule? Or could it be that he just wants to skip the veteran bore of offseason workouts, preferring to show up when training camp starts and the season nears? No one has that answer, but NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero was quick to remind that Rodgers, like many vets, isn’t a fan of spring practices.
“For years, he’s not wanted to go and do the offseason stuff,” Pelissero told Ross Tucker on Tucker’s podcast. “In fact, when he was a NFL Players Association representative during the 2020 collective bargaining talks, he was one of the loudest voice saying we shouldn’t have to do anything prior to August 1st. Essentially wipe out the entire spring, OTAs, minicamp, everything, start training camp August 1st. And then go right into the season.”
After voting “no” against a proposed CBA in February 2020, Rodgers released a statement on Twitter to explain his rationale. Part of his decision included a lack of offseason recovery time, especially as the NFL pushed for, and eventually secured, a 17th regular-season game.
“The ideas discussed would not add costs to teams, in fact if anything, would lessen some of them,” his statement in part read, making the case for why teams should embrace fewer spring sessions.
Pelissero didn’t cite that as the reason why Rodgers is still taking his time to decide his football future. It’s likely a combination of factors, including navigating his personal life as Rodgers outlined in his lone offseason interview on The Pat McAfee show.
Veterans disliking spring practices is nothing new and it’s among the elements of the game they loathe the most. They’re reps less critical for established players in the system and are more geared toward young players learning the ropes. But as leaders and faces of the team, quarterbacks are generally expected to be at everything. For Rodgers, the sooner he can come in and pick up the Steelers’ playbook while gaining chemistry with teammates, the better.
Last year, Rodgers created controversy in New York after skipping part of the Jets’ offseason program to take a planned vacation to Egypt. He claimed it had been cleared by the team. Head coach Robert Saleh fined him anyway.
Pittsburgh’s first voluntary OTA session kicks off May 27. The Steelers are only holding six practices this year plus their mandatory three-day minicamp in June. Ideally, Rodgers shows up before those dates. But until he’s inked a contract, he can sit at home and keep everyone waiting.
And guessing.
