The Steelers’ organization met on Tuesday, as the squad kicked off their first session of Organized Team Activities (OTAs). There were a few notable faces missing. One of them is a player who isn’t even on the roster yet, in Aaron Rodgers. With many pointing to these OTAs as a potential deadline for Rodgers to sign, Steelers insider Brian Batko is already cautious of the implications of Rodgers missing action.
“For me, the alarm bells are already ringing,” Batko said, speaking on 93.7 The Fan on Tuesday evening. “I think it’s already a sideshow for this team… I think it’s already set up, fairly or unfairly, this dynamic or perception that one guy is above the team, and bigger than the team. Sometimes, I think that’s the case. But not for him in his current state, and not for him in a franchise that he’s never been a part of.”
Given how the offseason has gone, the Steelers’ roster must be tired of answering questions regarding a player who isn’t even on their roster yet. Still, this is the situation the Steelers have put themselves in. They still feel like his most likely landing spot, and potentially the only one Rodgers has. Yet, the veteran quarterback is showing no hurry in officially agreeing to a deal.
Some speculate that the delay could be due to the fact that Rodgers has already agreed not to attend these OTAs. Thus, the two sides could have wanted to eliminate any distractions that would come along with that. If that’s the case, it clearly isn’t working.
The Steelers don’t seem to think it matters when Rodgers does show up. With that said, they can’t be ecstatic with how the whole situation is playing out. Of course, we don’t know exactly how the locker room feels about the entire situation. However, it feels as if this ordeal is taking precedence over the actual practices on the field.
Some will argue that with Rodgers’ pedigree, he doesn’t really need to be at OTAs. If this happened back when Rodgers was on the Packers, where he spent nearly two decades, that might be a valid point. For the Steelers, though, a team with which Rodgers is a stranger, Batko doesn’t think it sets the best example.
“Even in this case, he’s a future Hall of Famer, Super Bowl winner, four-time MVP, but he’s never done any of that for the Steelers,” Batko said. “So yeah, I absolutely think it’s more significant that he should be here for this. But for whatever reason, I guess he doesn’t think he owes that to this team.”
Batko is right that Rodgers clearly doesn’t think he owes it to the Steelers to show up. Earlier in the offseason, Rodgers pointed to issues in his personal life as a reason for his lack of commitment to the 2025 season. That is perfectly acceptable. However, making numerous public appearances amidst that certainly doesn’t help the optics of the whole situation.
All things considered, the Steelers have backed themselves into this corner. It’s now either Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, or Mason Rudolph. Rodgers is probably the better of those options, but he isn’t exactly what he used to be. And even though he’s not officially on the roster, Rodgers isn’t helping his perception by skipping OTAs.
