The Pittsburgh Steelers have been in the headlines a ton lately as they continue to be the most likely landing spot for veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The two sides have had some sort of mutual interest in coming together since the first week of free agency, but Rodgers is continuing to take his time when making a decision about his future.
Pittsburgh is the only legitimate and logical landing spot for the four-time MVP at the moment, but a starting job could open up elsewhere — which is why he is not rushing anything. Retirement is also a possibility as Rodgers will turn 42 in the middle of the 2025 season.
Rodgers is a polarizing figure in the NFL, and it seems like the fan base in Pittsburgh is relatively split on the organization signing him. Many are unhappy with how long this process is taking, and frustration is certainly building in the city of Pittsburgh.
The 2025 NFL Draft is just over a week away, and the Steelers could find themselves in a spot to take a quarterback, which makes it of the utmost importance that Rodgers makes his decision prior to the event.
Team insider Mark Kaboly is not as worried as some fans however, as he proclaimed on X that the franchise had to have gotten some sort of reassurance from Rodgers or his team that he would end up signing in Pittsburgh.
"Do you really believe that the Steelers weren't given some kind of assurance that Aaron Rodgers plans on signing with them?" Kaboly asked. "You think they are that stupid? Sure, nothing is guaranteed with Rodgers until it is, but they most definitely got more than an inkling of what's going to happen."
Pittsburgh is historically known as one of the most consistent and successful organizations in all of sports, so it is a bit odd to see it in this state of limbo as it waits for a free agent to make a decision. If the season began today, the organization would be relying on Mason Rudolph to go out and start, which is not exactly a recipe for success.
Kaboly is right, the Steelers would have had to had some verbal agreement with Rodgers to be comfortable allowing him to wait this long before signing. He took a visit to the facility a couple of weeks ago to meet the coaching staff and he spent a good portion of the day there, and all things looked like they went well. He didn't sign then, but the Steelers could have gotten a good feeling for what was going to happen moving forward, which is why the franchise is not panicking.
With the draft approaching, fans should expect a decision from Rodgers in the near future. If there was any caveat in giving Rodgers his time and space, it was likely that a decision had to be made before the NFL Draft. Pittsburgh wants to build a Super Bowl-winning roster, and it is best to do that through the draft. It would be difficult to do without a quarterback in place.
Whether Rodgers signs or doesn't shouldn't dictate if the Steelers decide to draft a quarterback. The organization needs to figure out what is going to happen at that position in the future, and Rodgers should be viewed as a temporary Band-Aid.
Pittsburgh could be in position to select either Jaxson Dart or Shedeur Sanders in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, and Rodgers would be a great veteran to sit behind and learn from while developing.
