If Aaron Rodgers needs the rest of the month, the Pittsburgh Steelers will wait. If he needs the rest of June, missing mandatory minicamp for players under contract, the Steelers will wait. Whenever Rodgers wants to show up, the Steelers will welcome him. That’s the belief of beat writer Ray Fittipaldo, who doesn’t expect Pittsburgh to ever serve Rodgers with a deadline.
“I just know that they are willing to be patient,” Fittipaldo told 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi and Chris Mueller. “I think they’re even willing to be patient into June, to be honest with you. I don’t really see like an end to this anytime soon unless Aaron just makes up his mind. And I honestly don’t see the Steelers walking away at this point. So might be two weeks, four weeks, six weeks, but I think as long as Aaron doesn’t retire, I think the Steelers will be willing to sit around and wait for that decision.”
Pittsburgh’s saga with Rodgers began in mid-March during the first day of the NFL’s legal tampering period. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the Steelers had serious interest in Rodgers, a sign they either didn’t intend or weren’t going to be able to re-sign Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. Rodgers has shown interest in a return, visiting the facility later that month and speaking well of the organization during his only media interview this offseason.
But the Steelers have received no clarity for what Rodgers will decide and when that decision will come. He’s never been a fan of offseason workouts, and insiders have floated the idea he will skip OTAs beginning in May and the team’s minicamp in mid-June. If so, that would mean Rodgers may not give word until close to training camp in late July, making it possible the team doesn’t know his future for another two months.
Publicly, the team has placed little pressure on Rodgers. Only Art Rooney II has floated a “soft deadline” of sorts, suggesting he preferred Rodgers to show up for some level of offseason activity. Former NFL offensive lineman Ross Tucker roasted Rodgers for seemingly not showing commitment to the Steelers should he skip out on the programs.
While Fittipaldo acknowledged he’s guessing the team’s thoughts and not basing it off inside sources, he’s making the logical conclusion everyone else had. Rodgers is the best quarterback left, and if the Steelers have waited this long, they might as well see it through.
“He’s their best option at this point, and that’s basically it. They can roll with Mason Rudolph, players in that locker room are confident if that is what transpires. But they believe that Aaron Rodgers has something left and they wanna see what they can do in 2025 if he does sign.”
Feeling the heat of a franchise that hasn’t won a playoff game since 2016 and without a long-term answer, the Steelers appear headed towards another stop-gap. It will be their fifth Week One quarterback in five years, a franchise first. Even if Rodgers signs, the Steelers will likely be headed towards a sixth come 2026.
