Aaron Rodgers is finally going to be a Pittsburgh Steeler. According to reports, he will sign a one-year contract with the team and attend minicamp next week. And it only took what felt like an eternity. A saga that began in March is finally coming to a conclusion. But given all the stories – and waiting – along the way, it’s worth recapping each step to this point. To recap a move months in the making, here’s every notable step in the Rodgers offseason timeline from first interest to signing.
March 10 – First official report of Steelers having interest in Aaron Rodgers
The first day of the legal tampering period brought the first story from a trusted insider of the Steelers’ reported interest in Aaron Rodgers. If that sounds like a mouthful, it is, and it set the stage for an endless wait. ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared early Monday morning Pittsburgh was seriously considering Rodgers, a sign the team wasn’t expected to retain Justin Fields or Russell Wilson.
“As the Steelers continue talks with Russell Wilson and Justin Fields entering this week’s free agency period, Aaron Rodgers also has emerged as a quarterback option for Pittsburgh, league sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Rodgers and the Steelers are expected to talk, sources told Schefter and explore a union between the four-time MVP and longtime coach Mike Tomlin.”
The news immediately overshadowed Pittsburgh’s blockbuster move the night before to acquire Seattle Seahawks WR DK Metcalf. In his introductory press conference, Metcalf said the Steelers relayed that they had confidence in their quarterback plan. It probably didn’t include waiting months for Rodgers to sign but Metcalf now knows who is throwing to him.
March 10 – Justin Fields agrees to two-year deal with Jets
Despite the Steelers’ public commentary hoping to re-sign Fields and many – myself included – believing a deal would get done, those thoughts were quickly dashed. On Monday afternoon, Fields agreed to a two-year, $40 million deal with the New York Jets. Reportedly, the Jets presented a stronger offer that included second-year guaranteed money, something Pittsburgh’s deal apparently didn’t include. The deal became official once the new league year began later in the week.
March 12 – Jets release Rodgers, becomes free agent
Procedural and expected, the Jets officially released Rodgers and made him a free agent able to sign anywhere at any time. Many predicted a relatively quick decision. How wrong they were.
March 21 – Aaron Rodgers visits Pittsburgh
And not to ride the Incline. The first tangible news of the Rodgers saga, he attempted to sneak into Pittsburgh through a nearby airport and non-descript Chevy Malibu. He kept the news away from the national media until the story was broken by Steelers beat writer Gerry Dulac. Rodgers even altered the Steelers’ plans, unable to fully attend Michigan’s Pro Day, an annual stop (reportedly, the team still met with players the night before and then flew home to meet Rodgers).
Spending six hours with the team, Rodgers met owner Art Rooney II, general manager Omar Khan, head coach Mike Tomlin, and assistants like offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth.
March 25 – Russell Wilson Signs With Giants
Counter to public comments, it quickly became clear the Steelers had little-to-no interest in retaining Wilson. Wilson took tours with Cleveland and New York before settling on a one-year deal with the Giants loaded with incentives. He now leads an eclectic quarterback room with Jameis Winston and rookie Jaxson Dart.
Pittsburgh still has reason to root Wilson on. The better he does, the higher comp pick the Steelers could receive in the 2026 NFL Draft. There’s even an outside chance Wilson could fetch a third rounder.
March 30 – Mike Tomlin speaks on Aaron Rodgers
For the first time and in a rare moment, Tomlin offered an honest answer to a player not on the roster. With a throng of media members surrounding his table at league owners meetings, Tomlin said he had a good conversation with Rodgers during his March 21 visit. He added that the two sides would remain in contact.
“It’s been reported that he spent a day with us, and it was a really good day,” Tomlin told reporters. “Specifically, he and I obviously have known of each other for some time, and so it was really good to spend some time together, man, and get to know each other more intimately, but it is free agency. It is a process.”
It sure was a process. One that wouldn’t end for quite some time.
March 31 – Omar Khan speaks on Aaron Rodgers
Khan said less than Tomlin and was more coy about the team’s interest in Rodgers. He confirmed the Steelers would continue their tradition of carrying four quarterbacks in training camp. While never invoking Rodgers’ name, Khan preached patience, noting “time is a friend.” An offseason runway to allow Rodgers to fully process his future.
March 31 – Photos, video revealed of Aaron Rodgers throwing with WR DK Metcalf
In the most notable piece of news since Rodgers’ visit, photos and video were posted of Rodgers and Metcalf working out at UCLA over the weekend. Both have houses in Los Angeles, making for an easy way to link up. The two ended the day taking a photo together, a preview of what was to come.
Some criticized Rodgers for poor throws in the few clips available, analysis that’s too over the top even for us.
April 1 – Rooney expresses optimism Rodgers will sign
Owner Art Rooney II weighed in on Rodgers, touting offseason optimism he’d repeat in ensuing interviews.
Still, Rooney was the only members of the Steelers’ brass who gave any sort of deadline, soft as it was. He told reporters the team was prepared to wait on Rodgers for a little while “but not forever.” Those comments seemingly did nothing to speed up Rodgers’ timeline.
April 9 – Aaron Rodgers doesn’t make his announcement during Pat McAfee’s live show
Despite plenty of speculation, Pat McAfee’s Big Night Aht Pittsburgh live show didn’t end with an Aaron Rodgers announcement. The only quarterback who showed up was Ben Roethlisberger, helping give away $2 million as part of the show’s grand finale.
April 17 – Aaron Rodgers holds interview with Pat McAfee
Rodgers joined his favorite media outlet and held his first offseason interview on Pat McAfee’s show. Appearing with the intent to blast the media for rampant speculation, Rodgers provided little answers. He clarified he wasn’t waiting for more money or for the Minnesota Vikings to swoop in and show interest.
He told the show he was focused on his personal life and helping his friends along with a serious relationship. He informed teams he had no timeline for his decision and confirmed Pittsburgh didn’t give him a sign-by date. He also ripped the New York Jets’ new regime for a short exit interview.
Rodgers praised his meeting with Pittsburgh and talked up his workout with Metcalf, additional signs he was going to eventually sign with the Steelers.
April 25 – Rooney repeats belief Rodgers will sign, hints at OTA deadline
Ahead of Day 2 of the draft on Friday night, Rooney again said he believed all signs pointed toward Rodgers signing. But he again hinted at a deadline, hinting he wanted an answer before the team’s OTA sessions began on May 27.
April 24-26 – Steelers pass on draft’s top QBs, take Will Howard late
Linked to Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders by nearly every outlet, the Steelers pass on him at No. 21 and throughout the draft. Instead of focusing on quarterback, Pittsburgh focuses on bolstering the team’s defensive line and front seven before selecting Ohio State’s Will Howard in the sixth round. A promising selection and undeniably strong value but not the high-round selection the national media anticipated.
Week Of May 19 – Rooney repeats comments, Rodgers makes noise
Lumping several notable events together. Following the second round of owners meetings, Rooney again offered the notion Pittsburgh was willing to wait “a little while longer” for Rodgers to sign.
That week, Rodgers made two public appearances. He served as guest on the Joe Rogan podcast, never directly discussing football but indicating people close to him had battled cancer over the past year, suggesting one prong of personal issues he was dealing with that caused his delay. More relevant was a 90-minute question-and-answer session he did at a Texas concert, hinting he would be playing for the Steelers when Pittsburgh traveled to Chicago Week 12.
May 27 – Steelers begin OTAs without Rodgers
An unsigned Rodgers is not at the first day of voluntary Organized Team Activities. Teammates downplay his absence as unimportant and several other starters under contract missed out, too: EDGE T.J. Watt, WR DK Metcalf, OG Isaac Seumalo, and CB Darius Slay.
Mason Rudolph takes first-team quarterback reps instead. Ultimately, Rodgers does not attend any of Pittsburgh’s six voluntary practices.
June 5 – Rodgers Tells Pittsburgh He’s Signing
Just after 3 PM/EST on Thursday, June 5, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero broke the news that Rodgers informed the team he’s flying into Pittsburgh to sign and attend next week’s minicamp. Contract details weren’t officially made known outside of it being a one-year deal.
