Following Adam Schefter’s footsteps, NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero offered his prediction for when Aaron Rodgers will sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers. If true, the team and fans will have to wait a little while longer.
“Is it the week of minicamp?” Pelissero said during a Wednesday appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. “Is it the day after minicamp? Is it the week before training camp? Is it the day before training camp begins? Somewhere in that bandwidth, I believe. I don’t know this for a fact because we’re talking about the enigma of the NFL here, but I anticipate Aaron Rodgers is going to end up committing to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. That it’s a matter of when, not if.”
Schefter’s prediction pegged a decision before the team’s mandatory minicamp that begins June 10 and runs through June 12. Pelissero’s timeline is much broader, but the consensus between the two suggests a decision won’t come before the Steelers begin voluntary OTAs May 27. Pittsburgh cut down on the number of practices this year, only holding six. Conspiracy theorists could suggest that it was done with Rodgers in mind, lessening the amount of time he’d miss should he intend to skip the sessions.
Of course, these predictions are loosely based, and even insiders like Schefter and Pelissero have hardly offered valuable information during the Rodgers saga. Few predicted his decision would take this long, including Art Rooney II, with most pundits believing an answer would occur before the draft. That came and went without fanfare.
Every suggestion of when Rodgers would sign has been proven wrong: during the first week of free agency, shortly after his March visit with the team, at Pat McAfee’s live show, ahead of the NFL Draft, before or during the league’s schedule release, and the belief he’ll sign immediately after the schedule is posted Wednesday night doesn’t look likely, either.
The question is whether Rodgers will decide before any of the Steelers’ spring workouts, the voluntary OTAs, and the mandatory minicamp. If he doesn’t turn up at either, will Pittsburgh still be interested? Will the locker room be receptive to a supposed leader and face of the franchise showing up sight-unseen in late July when most of the roster put in the time during OTAs and the whole team attended minicamp?
And what impact, if any, will Rodgers feel if he isn’t working with the team as early as possible? Will he show rust and get off to a slow start that the Steelers can ill afford in a competitive conference and division?
Pelissero also downplayed the possibility of the New Orleans Saints pursuing Rodgers even following Derek Carr’s retirement. The Saints seem focused on internal options headlined by second-rounder Tyler Shough.
The wait continues. May 27 will be the next line in the sand, followed by June 10. If the Steelers are still playing the waiting game by then, it’ll be fair to wonder if the team should just turn the page.
