After months of waiting for Aaron Rodgers to show up, even his imminent signing, which was reported today by multiple outlets, is leaving some wondering if he should’ve waited a little while longer. With Rodgers set to sign and attend the Pittsburgh Steelers’ three-day minicamp next week, former NFL quarterback Chase Daniel is concerned it opens the floodgates to a media circus.
“It’s interesting the timing,” Daniel told Scoop City podcast co-host Dianna Russini. “When we’re reading it, it sounds like he’ll be at the minicamp on Tuesday. When you remember with the Jets, he straight up skipped minicamp and was a distraction. So now, it’s almost like you’re bringing that distraction in another way. There’s going to be national media, there’s going to be everyone at this minicamp. The timing is interesting.”
As Daniel noted, Rodgers made headlines last year when he skipped the New York Jets’ mandatory minicamp due to a pre-planned trip to Egypt. The team ultimately fined him, an ominous sign ahead of a season in which head coach and general manager were fired midseason with the new regime cleaning house, including dumping Rodgers after a 15-minute conversation.
Per SI’s Albert Breer, Rodgers “obliged” and made his decision knowing how important Pittsburgh felt about minicamp. Daniel is correct the media will be in full force next week. Rodgers will be the NFL’s biggest story and a news cycle that has discussed him non-stop for the past three months finally has something of substance to discuss.
But had Rodgers not shown up, there would’ve been plenty of questions and concerns over his future, too. Ultimately, the sooner Rodgers signed, the better it was for the team. No matter if he had signed with the team in March, April, May, June, July, or August, the first chance the media had to talk with him was going to be a big event.
Daniel’s point falls flat. Pittsburgh may not have set an official deadline but Rodgers extending this saga past minicamp and near the start of training camp wasn’t tenable. Not for a locker room that has been peppered with questions over Rodgers’ absence and potential signing. Not for a team gaining trust in Mason Rudolph, who finally has clarity over his role. Rodgers will be a big story but there’s a sigh of relief in knowing an answer, allowing everyone to move forward.
