Mike Tomlin was the first decision maker of the Pittsburgh Steelers to publicly discuss the idea of a deadline for Aaron Rodgers’ decision. After initially saying there was no deadline, he mentioned training camp as a natural line of demarcation before later walking that back as well. Perhaps more importantly, Art Rooney II said the Steelers won’t wait for Rodgers forever.
Whether there is a deadline or not, Rodgers has made it clear he is working on nobody’s timeline other than his own. According to Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Steelers insider Gerry Dulac, the only deadline is in early September.
“There is no deadline…except the start of the season,” Dulac wrote in his weekly Steelers chat.
It wouldn’t be unprecedented for a quarterback to sign with a team at the last possible moment. Rodgers’ Green Bay predecessor Brett Favre did it with the Minnesota Vikings back in 2009, signing on Aug. 18 on his way to a 12-4 record and a Pro Bowl selection.
Going from Green Bay to New York, Rodgers’ career has already mirrored Favre’s in a lot of ways. Would it be that surprising for him to take one more page from the Favre playbook? I suppose not.
ESPN insider Adam Schefter said just yesterday that the Steelers would be willing to wait until Sept. 7, which is the date of their Week 1 game against the New York Jets. Technically, he would probably have to sign at least a day before that with it being a road game.
Rooney expressed a preference for Rodgers to participate in some of the team’s offseason activities if his intention is to play for them in 2025. Rodgers has seen it all over his 20 years in the league, but that doesn’t mean Arthur Smith’s offense is plug and play for him. Even more important, he can’t possibly have a feel for the speed and timing of wide receivers and tight ends without on-field repetitions together.
It’s still entirely possible that Rodgers shows up before the start of mandatory minicamp on June 10, but the goal posts seem to be shifting once again on the timeline for his decision. If the noise is already starting after the first day of OTAs, imagine how loud it will become after the first day of training camp if Rodgers is still not around.
