To former NFL offensive lineman and current analyst Ross Tucker, Aaron Rodgers just wants the football world to think he’s playing. In reality, Rodgers checked out a long time ago. Still unsure of his future as the calendar turns to May, Tucker thinks Pittsburgh’s the fool for waiting him out. And Rodgers’ inability to give an answer is, in itself, an answer.
“These are the Pittsburgh Steelers, okay?” Tucker said Thursday on Good Morning Football. “And they’re still waiting for this guy to decide if he wants to play. By the way, if a guy’s waiting this long to decide whether or not they want to play, they don’t really wanna play.”
During his one and only interview of the offseason, Rodgers admitted that retirement remained a “possibility” and offered no timeline on making a decision. He cited a focus on his personal life coming before figuring out his football future. Still, Rodgers would push back on Tucker’s assertion, chewing out the media for their speculation in his conversation with Pat McAfee.
Pittsburgh has gone all-in on waiting on Rodgers. If he retires, the team will either stick with Mason Rudolph or explore a Kirk Cousins trade. Neither move would make the Steelers a playoff-winning team.
Ultimately, Tucker thinks Rodgers will suit up. But with his heart not in it, the results won’t be what Pittsburgh expects.
“He doesn’t wanna play,” he said. “He doesn’t really want to play. I think he wants to stay relevant. So I think he will play for the Steelers, but this doesn’t make any sense either short-term or long-term for Pittsburgh in my mind.”
Getting into Aaron Rodgers’ mind is impossible. There’s a case to be made for why he’d want to play again, not wanting to end his career on the disaster that was the 2024 New York Jets season. A five-win campaign full of drama, media headlines, and a coaching staff and front office turned over.
But that alone can’t be the motivation. If Rodgers is to play, he has to be 100 percent committed and locked in on the season. Even skipping voluntary OTAs, fast approaching later this month, would be a sign he isn’t fully committed. Art Rooney II’s recent comments suggested a “soft deadline” of OTAs. If Rodgers still hasn’t committed by then, the Steelers should prepare to go into the season without him.
