Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Ryan Clark is one of the top NFL analysts on television. But he’s also considered a proud Steelers alumnus. On Tuesday, Clark’s two identities intertwined on ESPN’s Get Up because of the team’s free agency pursuit of quarterback Aaron Rodgers this offseason.
Clark didn’t necessarily disagree with the Steelers showing interest in Rodgers. But the ex-safety made it clear he would’ve handled the quarterback’s desire to extend his free agency decision very differently.
“I mean, it makes me sick, to be honest,” Clark said, via 93.7 The Fan’s Andrew Fillipponi. “Unless Omar, the general manager, Omar Khan of the Pittsburgh Steelers, has some sort of promise or some sort of lean on Aaron Rodgers, believing that he is going to come back and play football and if he does make that decision, he’s going to be a Pittsburgh Steeler, I feel like this has been mishandled already.
“I feel like to be waiting or to be held hostage by a former quarterback of the New York Jets that’s actually never done anything for you. What has Aaron Rodgers done in the last two years or since leaving Green Bay that says he should be afforded this type of time? That says that he should give him the sort of respect that keeps your franchise at bay.”
Rodgers won four MVP awards with the Green Bay Packers. He also led the franchise to a Super Bowl victory (against Clark and the Steelers in February 2011). But last season, Rodgers posted a 5-12 record with the New York Jets.
The veteran quarterback will also turn 42 before the end of the 2025 regular season.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac reported on March 12 the Steelers made Rodgers an offer. Dulac tweeted the quarterback was taking “his good ol’ time about making a decision.”
Ryan Clark Argues Steelers Should Give Aaron Rodgers a Deadline
To Clark’s point, the offer the Steelers have made to Rodgers has presumably remained on the table. Reporters and pundits haven’t suggested the two sides are still negotiating the contract.
Instead, the quarterback has simply continued to mull over his future for a month.
Meanwhile, pundits have kept speculating whether Rodgers is waiting for an opening elsewhere. The most popular rumor has been the Minnesota Vikings potentially having interest. More recently, pundits have also suggested the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers as possibilities. Rodgers could also retire.
Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters at the league’s annual spring meetings that the team has not given Rodgers a deadline to make a decision on their contract offer. Clark argued Tuesday that the Steelers should immediately change that approach.
“I would give Aaron Rodgers a deadline, and when I give him that deadline, it wouldn’t lead me into next week,” Clark said. “I would need to know if you are coming back to play or not this week, and more importantly, if you are coming back to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
Clark May Not Have the Best Relationship With Rodgers
As a proud Steelers alumnus with a national platform, Clark is one of the better voices to listen to for Steelers insight. But in the case of the team pursuing Rodgers, he might not be the most unbiased.
It’s worth nothing that Clark and Rodgers engaged in a television spat late last year.
After Rodgers criticized ESPN personalities, particularly former NFL players, for developing opinions and sports takes for the sole purpose of staying in the national spot, Clark called the quarterback a fraud. The former Steelers safety’s argument was that Rodgers made his critic of ESPN while making his weekly guest appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, which airs on ESPN.
The beef only got uglier from there, as Rodgers responded by asking Clark about his vaccine status.
It’s probably safe to say the two aren’t friends. For that reason, it’s not a reach to suggest Clark probably doesn’t want Rodgers to become the starting quarterback where he made his NFL home.
Though maybe a bit bias, that doesn’t mean Clark’s opinion on the Steelers pursuit of Rodgers isn’t any less valid.
The 2025 NFL Draft is almost a week away. Yet, the Steelers don’t have a starting quarterback.
