The week of the 2026 draft has arrived, and the Steelers are once again unsure of whether or not their presumed starting quarterback will be in the fold by the start of the season. The future of Aaron Rodgers remains uncertain at this time, and clarity does not appear to be imminent.
Rodgers has been in communication with head coach Mike McCarthy and general manager Omar Khan during recent weeks, but NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero report a formal assurance of suiting up for 2026 has yet to be provided. Pittsburgh is not expected to know Rodgers’ intentions for certain until after the upcoming draft. Owner Art Rooney II previously tapped the draft as a checkpoint for finding out more on this front, but it appears that will not be the case.
The Steelers had hoped to receive clarity with respect to Rodgers in mid-February, which would have been an earlier timeline than in 2025. Instead, another wait lasting deep into the offseason has taken place and it is set to continue. Pelissero points to the start of OTAs as a logical time for Rodgers to make his return to the organization and participate in on-field work. For now, the Steelers are set to begin spring practices without the four-time MVP in the fold.
That will leave Will Howard to take first-team reps this week. The 2025 sixth-rounder has drawn praise from McCarthy and others, although a second Rodgers campaign would leave him short on opportunities to develop in advance of the 2027 offseason when Pittsburgh will need to decide on whether or not a starting-caliber QB addition is necessary. Veteran Mason Rudolph is also in the fold.
Rodgers came into the 2025 season thinking it would be his last. Even with Mike Tomlin stepping aside, the door has remained open to a reunion between Rodgers and McCarthy. The two enjoyed a successful tenure in Green Bay, and McCarthy has welcomed the possibility of spending another year together with the Steelers.
Rodgers is 42, and while the future Hall of Famer offered stability under center in 2025 he would not be expected to operate at level matching his peak years in the event of a Pittsburgh return. It remains a distinct possibility that one will take place, but the team is positioned to once again enter the draft without being sure of Rodgers’ future.
Enough. Just enough.
“Nah just a little bit more baby”-Steelers front office maybe
All this drama and uncertainty for a guy who’s what in a best case scenario, the 18th best QB in football?
Maybe 17th I’d put infront of a good few
Ok. And that’s BEST case scenario for a 42-year old who’s lost all his mobility and has clearly started playing to avoid taking hits. The upside is mid and the likelihood of the wheels coming off completely is high.
Hence why Steelers should stop the dog and pony show and start investing in his successor. Either this weekend or next year.
He just needs to go away.
It’s amazing to me anybody cares enough to even want the drama.
It’s time to stop enabling the Rodger’s games. The Steelers missed the Kirk Cousins opportunity leaving them with 3 veteran options: 1. Jimmy Garoppolo 2. Russell Wilson 3. Continue the Aaron Rodgers will he/won’t he.
Take your lumps this season Steelers, if you stink that badly, you’ll be in line to fix things next year.
They should trade their first for one next year. Then have more capital to move up the board for a rookie QB.
Ownership will never let them follow that logical path. And it’s a disgrace. They would rather have a winning record every year than do a reset. That wasn’t a Tomlin thing, that was an Art Rooney II. It’s disgraceful how incompetent he is compared to his legendary father and grandfather.
Same with the Giants. The sons that inherited the team took a proud, SB winning franchise into the dirt.
Ownership will never let them follow that path…not this year, for sure, not with the draft in Pittsburgh. No way they’re trading out of the first round with the spotlight on the host franchise.
You’re right. Then they’ll have another average year. But that’s expected by now; ‘yawn’ for them this year.
While Aaron Rodgers is a HOF QB, he’s clearly on the back nine, let’s say the 18th hole even. The Rooneys should tell him to sign now or rescind the offer.
Rodgers at this point in his career is a middle-of-the-pack quarterback (between 12 and 20 depending on the day and that’s if his play remains at the same level as 2025), more likely to go down for the season after a hard hit (forty year olds recover more slowly than twenty-eight year olds). There’s no reason to wait on him.
If Rodgers wants to play one more season in Pittsburgh, he commits now and he does his off-season workouts. The man could use some physical conditioning. The receivers need more time to build chemistry. This is turning into a clown show.
This is embarrassing. AR is holding an entire organization hostage. Why are they letting this happen??
Tomlin always said he wanted volunteers, not hostages. At a certain point with Rodgers, you have to say the Steelers have volunteered to be hostages.
Plis3…AR isn’t holding the steelers hostage. Art 2 is holding the steelers hostage.
Does it matter though? This draft isn’t deep with QB talent and AR probably has one year max left in him. They should plan to draft one anyways
I agree with you. Every year, we hear the draft gurus telling us that next year, the draft will have better QB’s. We heard it last year and the Steelers passed on guys like Dart and Schough, who in my mind would have fit perfectly here. Now we’re hearing the same baloney. ‘27 will have better options. Yeah. Sure
Since I don’t have a life, I watched the combine and the QB’s in particular. I guess my point is this: if McCarthy is truly the QB development guy we keep reading he is, you can’t tell me that he can’t turn one of these kids into a serviceable QB at the very least. Or give Howard a shot
As a fan, I’m taken aback by this love affair with a guy who’s far beyond his prime. He played well against teams you’d have expected last season but he looked his age against the better teams and did little. He’s clearly not Brady-like at this age
To me, again, this is the delusional owner pushing the idea that the Steelers are close to the promised land with an “experienced veteran” at the position. He promised an answer and while I’d like to think the team already knows what he’s going do, why is it I think they’ll again pass on a number of guys who could help them?
Washed..there is only one person to blame for this fiasco. Art rooney 2. Hes the one who wants Rodgers. Hes the one who gave that ridiculous contract to watt. Now I hear that they want to trade Hightower and rooney is against it. I guess he’s trying to be another Jerry Jones.
Exactly. Either or not they like Will Howard, whether or not Rodgers returns for another year, at worst you need a possible upgrade on Mason Rudolph as the backup. Draft one one you like and at least make the room deeper.
McCarthy at today’s voluntary mini-camp: ‘I think there’s a lot to like about this year’s QB draft class. As a quarterbacks coach, I’d like to work with any of those guys’
You just have to laugh.
His mystery wife has been in his ear performing witchcraft this is out of pocket even for ARod lol
Once storied franchise is a laughing stock.
Still a storied franchise. But the current situation is very muddled. Not a laughing stock yet. This isn’t Cleveland!
Not even sure why the Steelers are waiting on him. He’s not even that good anymore
Khan and Rooney are embarrassing. They’ve let a player run their team and then try to play hardball with guys who want to renegotiate their contracts.
But for Rodgers it’s the Steelers or he’s an ambulance chaser hoping someone gets injured and he can step in.
For years I’ve read over and over how Tomlin doesn’t control his players, Tomlin doesn’t make people accountable, Tomlin has no control of the room, Tomlin really chooses the roster, etc., etc.,
This is an ownership problem. Has been for years, and years. Art Rooney II thinks that this is still a Super Bowl team who is perpetually one player away from a title. This charade and dance with Rodgers is 100% being enabled if not dictated by Rooney.
Agreed. People want to blame Khan. Maybe he’s of the same belief, but Rooney’s interview answers at the close of the season and then again with the hiring of McCarthy kind of crystallize what’s going on here. If the boss is all-in on something, just what is the GM to do?
I am not saying I totally believe this, but Pittsburgh very well MIGHT be 1 player away from being legitimate SB contenders. The problem is, that one player is a QB, and Rogers isn’t good enough at this time to make them legit contenders.
In all honesty, this team should have sold off some veterans, like Watt, and rebuilt a few years back. With what they have, and assuming Rogers comes back, they are not SB contenders, but just good enough to keep picking around 20 each year, which makes it tougher to find that potential franchise QB.
C’mon Rodgers…do it or get off the pot.
Maybe that’s Rodgers problem. Too much smoking pot.
people want to compare this guy to Brady. great thrower of football, that’s it.
What the Steelers should’ve done was laid down some boundaries with Erin once their season ended!! Should’ve told her, let us know what your plans are no later than 2 months after the season was over.
Rodgers must wait for the Illuminati to inform him that there has been a cosmic alignment of the planets before he can make a decision 🙂
At this point in time, waiting on (and as such, condoning) the prima donna antics of a well-past-his-prime player to the detriment of the franchise’s long-term plans is on Pittsburg. What’s that definition of insanity again?
I can’t believe teams are so desperate for middling qb play that they are willing to put up with this crap.
So much passive voice is utilized in these verbose utterances!
So speaketh the scribe…
Steelers are just idiots. If I were them, I’d tell Rogers to go “F” himself and move on. Rogers is a diva an I’ve lost all the respect I once had for the Steelers
Aaron will drag this out until after minicamps conclude in June so he doesn’t have to participate. With rare exceptions, he hasn’t participated in minicamps and OTAs since he won the Super Bowl in Green Bay. That’s why he drags all this stuff out in the offseason. He wants to skip all the workouts. Once he gets it to where he’s free and clear of the minicamps, then he makes his announcement that he’s coming back in time for regular training camp. He’s too busy enjoying his vacation right now. Plus, this is NFL Draft Week. He’s always the center of attention during Draft Week. Nothing to get upset over. He’ll probably milk another story or two before Thursday when the Draft begins. Then nobody will talk much about it until we get closer to the June minicamp. They’ll make an agreement around the time that the second minicamp opens and sign the contract when the second minicamp closes. Then Aaron will be in training camp in July and everybody will be singing kumbayah and saying what a great guy and HoF QB he is and how he’s going to lead the Steelers to the promised land.
This is the truest comment. People will complain, but I don’t think it changes much. If Rodgers plays, he plays, if not, he doesn’t. In either case the Steelers still need to look for their QB of the future. If you are looking at Rodgers as that guy, that’s the issue. I don’t think that Pittsburgh is, though. I personally said last year that I could see Rodgers being a two year player if the first year went well, and it mostly did for him statistically (despite ending in disappointing fashion again). Even that effort from 2025 is likely to see significant drop-off soon. Rodgers will run the offense well, and could offer them high level QB play if all goes according to plan with the new offensive scheme and weapons. If not, the Steelers should play Howard, or whomever they draft this year.
In any case, the real question to me is whether Pittsburgh drafts Simpson or waits until next year to invest in a highly picked QB. Rodgers’ return really shouldn’t impact that decision from a strategic point of view.
Go with Howard. Draft the Miami qb in the 3rd round. Then send Rodgers a GET LOST CARD.
I couldn’t remember his name. Carson Beck.
Why reveal your plans with A-Rod before the draft if you don’t have too?
Does anyone really care? He is way past his prime. This indecision is all about Aaron’s ego. I bet Pittsburgh fans at this point want to move in another direction?
I have a hard time believing this dog and pony show is why Tomlin decided to head out
Isnt why lol
I think there were a lot of reasons but Tomlin literally had control of the entire organization. While I believe Rooney is the guy who is delusional about where this team is and how the old QB can get them to the pinnacle, I have no doubt that Tomlin also had this love affair with the idea of Rodgers playing here
It’s a known fact that tomlin didn’t like young or rookie qbs. It was evident in his handling of Rudolph and Pickett.
Pickett was garbage though
Also with his benching of Justin Fields. After he lead them to a 4-2 start. With 5 td passes and 5 running tds.
This guy is such a joke
When the inmates run the prison it always goes badly. Shame on The Steelers for allowing this!!