Does it matter if Aaron Rodgers is with the Steelers for OTAs?
The Steelers begin OTAs a week from tomorrow, and Aaron Rodgers is still nowhere in sight—but does it matter? Pittsburgh has a new quarterback room this year, and one can include Mason Rudolph as new to Arthur Smith’s offense.
But does a 41-year-old future Hall of Famer benefit much from OTAs, if at all? Even the Steelers may implicitly acknowledge that Rodgers’ presence isn’t a big deal, considering they voluntarily cut down on OTA practices this year. Normally Tomlin seizes every opportunity (but one—Dave and Buster’s Day) to put his players on the field. But he gave up a week of OTAs anyway, so how much can he care?
There has been a push in recent years, with support by the players, to consolidate the offseason. Essentially, the spring workouts would disappear, or at least transform, combining with training camp. A longer ramp-up period with a longer break in the offseason. Maybe not every player and team would be in favor of this, but it seems Rodgers and the Steelers would be.
After all, Aaron Rodgers is “not an offseason guy”, as reporters have characterized him. But if the Steelers given Rodgers a playbook to peruse? That would probably be more relevant for him than actually being on the field during OTAs.
Minicamp is another thing, but if Rodgers doesn’t have a contract with the Steelers by then, then it’s not mandatory. Is Latrobe the first time you want your team meeting your starting quarterback, though? At what point does it really matter from a team perspective to be here? Because if we’re being honest, we’re mostly talking about things that don’t affect the team. We’re talking about reporters and fans and the anxiety (or merely annoyance) of not knowing.
At the same time, it doesn’t matter what the team says because there’s only one thing they can say. If the Steelers’ OTAs starts and Aaron Rodgers isn’t there, you know what Mike Tomlin is saying. “I’m focusing my energies on the guys that are here”. What he’s actually thinking in his head at that point is another matter. And even that’s hard to guess at because there are even conflicting accounts of what kind of contact they’re in.
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 they ultimately traded George Pickens, they have other decisions to make. The 2025 NFL Draft class is now behind us, 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.
