Is it Groundhog Day? It seems like it with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers. At least that’s the way Steelers president Art Rooney II made it seem when he addressed the team’s pursuit of the quarterback.
At the end of owners meetings on Wednesday, Rooney used the same vague phrasing to describe how much longer the team will wait for Rodgers to sign, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
“A little while longer. I’ll say the same thing,” said Rooney.
On April 1, Rooney said the Steelers would wait “not forever, but a little while longer” for Rodgers.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported on March 11 the Steelers made an offer to Rodgers. On March 21, the Steelers hosted the quarterback for a visit at the team’s facility.
Over the last two months, the media has provided nearly daily updates on whether Rodgers will join the Steelers and when he could make his decision. But the Steelers are still waiting with the team’s offseason workouts set to begin after Memorial Day.
Steelers Art Rooney II Repeatedly Using Vague Phrasing With Aaron Rodgers Pursuit
As Fowler pointed out, this is the second time Rooney has used the “little while longer” phrase with Rodgers. But Rooney hasn’t provided very specific updates throughout the offseason.
The Steelers president tried to reassure fans after they passed on quarterbacks in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft that the team would hear from Rodgers “soon.”
“We’re still kind of getting the same signals we’ve been getting recently that he does want to come here,” Rooney said just before the second round on April 25. “I do think we may get word soon.
Rooney then got about as specific has he ever has when talking about Rodgers this offseason.
“Obviously with things starting to crank up here with the offseason program, etc. If he’s coming, would like to get him here soon for some of that.”
If Rooney still wants Rodgers to participate in the team’s offseason program, the Steelers would have to sign the quarterback sooner rather than later.
Pittsburgh’s voluntary workouts begin on May 27. The team’s mandatory minicamp starts on June 10.
Steelers Have No Deadline With Aaron Rodgers
The Steelers have no one to blame but themselves for the situation they are in with Rodgers.
There’s a reason Rooney has been vague when talking about the quarterback this offseason. The Steelers have refused to give the quarterback a deadline to make a decision.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin revealed that nearly two months ago.
“I don’t know that we’ve approached it from a deadline perspective,” Tomlin told the media at the annual league spring meetings on March 30. “Certainly, as I mentioned, you’d like to have settled circumstances, but deadlines don’t often bring that to a head.”
Rodgers confirmed the Steelers haven’t given him a deadline during his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on April 17.
During an appearance on The Joe Rogan Experience podcast on Wednesday, Rodgers said there were people close to him who have cancer. In the McAfee interview, the quarterback wasn’t so specific but said people in his “inner circle” are dealing with personal issues that have his priority.
It’s important to respect Rodgers’ desire to be available to the people close to him if they are sick. It’s possible that’s what Rooney and the Steelers are doing by remaining so patient with the quarterback and respecting his privacy.
But it’s also understandable if Steelers fans are growing frustrated with the organization spouting the same vague phrasing when it comes to the offseason timeline they have with Rodgers.
Fortunately for Steelers fans, ESPN’s Adam Schefter had a more concrete update on the quarterback.
“My guess is he’s going to wind up there,” Schefter said on ESPN Milwaukee, via PennLive’s Nick Farabaugh. “I think that we’ve heard Art Rooney, the team owner, say he expects Aaron Rodgers to sign there, and they have mandatory minicamp June 10th to the 12th.
“So I would think Rodgers is on the table here in the next week or so.”
