In maybe the boldest take of the Aaron Rodgers saga, former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch believes if Rodgers waits until July 24 to opt-in, he shouldn’t be the starter come Sept. 7. During an interview with Kay Adams Wednesday, Batch said Rodgers should take a backseat to Mason Rudolph if his delay extends well into the summer.
“For me, it depends on when Aaron Rodgers gets here,” Batch told Adams on Up and Adams. “If he shows up the day of training camp, that means there’s about four weeks before he actually gets ready for the start of the season. If that is the case, I still believe that Mason Rudolph should be the starter as the season opens up. And, of course, allowing Aaron to now work through the nuances of the offense. That’s just my personal opinion.”
Earlier Wednesday, Pittsburgh announced its training camp schedule. The team will report July 23 and practice a day later, the first of 15 public sessions. Post-camp, there will also be a joint scrimmage with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Steelers open the regular season on the road against the New York Jets.
Rodgers waiting until training camp to sign would be a worst-case scenario for a Steelers team antsy for answers since March. But they’ve been at Aaron Rodgers’ mercy this entire time, and if he skips the rest of spring workouts that conclude next week, there’s no incentive for him to quickly give an answer after. Functionally, there’s little difference between Rodgers signing the day after minicamp versus the day before training camp.
Still, Batch says the sooner Rodgers can get the playbook, the better. And even signing a couple weeks ahead of camp will give him time to digest the Steelers’ offense before making the trip to Latrobe.
“But if he signs prior to training camp starting and allowing him a couple extra week to learn this offense, then Aaron Rodgers probably will be the starter heading into training camp,” Batch said.
No matter when Rodgers signs, it’s impossible to see him not starting Week 1. Not only would the four-time league MVP being the backup quarterback at any time for any reason be a national story that would be the only topic of conversation in Pittsburgh, it’s not what Rodgers would sign up for or why the Steelers have been so patient in waiting for him. Batch is correct that the longer Rodgers waits, the less time he and his teammates have to work together and grow. That could have a negative on-field impact. But if Rodgers signs for $10-20 million, he’s starting. There’s no debate about that.
