The idea of giving Aaron Rodgers an ultimatum was presented long ago. Based on how long ago that was, it’s clear that any possible ultimatums haven’t worked. However, with the calendar flipped to June, the Pittsburgh Steelers are starting to find themselves in an uncomfortable position. Chris Canty thinks the Steelers have waited too long and must give Rodgers an ultimatum to sign this week.
“It’s the first week of June,” Canty said Monday on ESPN’s Unsportsmanlike. “With minicamp next week, it’s ultimatum time for Aaron Rodgers. Either he’s on the roster this week, or he’s not gonna be a Steeler this season. If he’s not on the roster this week, they need to pivot and go a different direction.”
This is not the first time Canty has been critical of the Steelers’ approach to Rodgers, and if the wait continues into the offseason, it almost certainly won’t be the last. He’s not alone in that take, either, and the pressure only continues to build as the 2025 season slowly gets closer.
The first session of OTAs came and went, and Rodgers didn’t sign. Pittsburgh’s second set of OTAs begin Tuesday, and run through Thursday. Obviously, Pittsburgh wants an answer sooner rather than later and giving Rodgers more time to work with his new teammates can only be a good thing. Even if Rodgers isn’t there this week, Pittsburgh does see a silver lining in allowing Mason Rudolph and Will Howard to get more work in his absence.
That said, mandatory minicamp, which is next week, is more complicated. Since Rodgers is not on the team, he doesn’t need to be there. For Pittsburgh, though, things could start to get dicey if Rodgers doesn’t sign. There doesn’t seem to be any official deadline for Rodgers. But if he knows he’s going to sign with the team anyway, and just decides not to attend mandatory minicamp, it’s not the best look.
That’s the deadline Canty sets. He thinks the Steelers need to pivot if Rodgers isn’t in the building by next week. If that’s something Pittsburgh chooses to do, Kirk Cousins is its likely Plan B. He’s someone the Steelers are said to have asked about. With it now being June, trading for him gets easier as well.
Your guess seems to be as good as anyone’s when it comes to predicting what Aaron Rodgers is going to do. In a perfect world, the Steelers would have had everything hammered out long ago. It’s now June, though, and Rodgers has yet to make a decision. Until he does, the Steelers are going to have to keep driving through a tornado of criticism from analysts like Canty.
