The Pittsburgh Steelers' OTAs kick off today, and there's been no word on quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Many assumed the organization would give Rodgers a deadline to sign with the team by the NFL Draft, but we're a full month past that, and president Art Rooney II insists they will give the veteran quarterback 'a little while longer.'
But now that we know Rodgers isn't at Steelers OTAs, does that mean all hope of him signing with the team is lost? No, this changes nothing.
Though Organized Team Activities (OTAs) felt like a perfect time for Rodgers to show up and start going through the motions with his team, this isn't the tentative deadline we have our eyes on. OTAs are voluntary, and while it would be great for Rodgers to be there and start getting acclimated to his teammates, there's a different date that will prove to be much bigger.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need Aaron Rodgers' answer by mandatory minicamp, not OTAs
Pittsburgh Steelers' OTAs will run for six practices with a three-day break in the middle. This is valuable time for players to spend with the team in an organized setting and start getting mentally prepared for the upcoming season. However, the date that it feels Aaron Rodgers must show up by is June 10.
This is when the Steelers' mandatory minicamp begins, and if it wasn't evident enough, the word mandatory should be a dead giveaway to the expectations Mike Tomlin and the coaching staff have for their players.
All players under contract are required to show up to mandatory minicamp or be subject to fines from the team. If the Pittsburgh Steelers have 90 players show up to mandatory minicamp—including an aging veteran like 36-year-old Cameron Heyward—but Rodgers is not one of them, how is that going to sit with the team?
Everyone on the Steelers—players and coaches alike—understands that Rodgers gives this team the best chance of competing in 2025. But if he doesn't show up and sign his contract when everyone else is required to be there and putting in the work, he's going to lose the locker room quickly.
We would all love for Aaron Rodgers to show up at Steelers OTAs, and perhaps he will at some point. But fans are getting worried for all the wrong reasons. OTAs are still voluntary, but when he starts missing mandatory minicamp, that's when we need to worry.
