This past weekend came and went without any deal being finalized between Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers. The future Hall of Famer was indeed in Pittsburgh, but contact was not made with the team.
SportsBoom’s Jason La Canfora confirms as much, adding there has yet to be a firm commitment provided by the player to the team in this long-running (but familiar) saga. Rodgers remained unsigned until June 5 in 2025, and with spring practices approaching for this year it is still unclear if a second Steelers campaign will be in store. New head coach Mike McCarthy has begun installing his offense with Pittsburgh’s three current passers, a group which includes rookie Drew Allar but two quarterbacks he inherited.
The two of them – 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard along with veteran Mason Rudolph – loom as QB1 options as things stand. La Canfora reports the Steelers have not been in contact with non-Rodgers free agents or with outside teams regarding a trade for a passer. The team has kept the door open to a Rodgers reunion, but clarity was expected well before this point of the spring. In event no deal is worked out, a competition among the incumbent quarterbacks will take place.
On that note, La Canfora adds Howard continues to be a player whose development the team remains “very excited about.” McCarthy praised the Ohio State product earlier this offseason, but it still came as little surprise when Pittsburgh made a second straight draft investment in the form of Allar. Howard will nevertheless have a “very real chance” to land the QB1 gig over Rudolph if Rodgers retires or the decision is made to move forward without him.
The Steelers recently placed the rarely-used UFA tender on Rodgers to provide insurance against the unlikely possibility of him signing elsewhere. The 42-year-old was originally on course to have Pittsburgh tenure last only one season, but over time all parties warmed to the idea of a 2026 agreement. The decision by Mike Tomlin to resign as head coach left Rodgers without a staffer he enjoyed working with, although McCarthy is a familiar face given their previous time in Green Bay. McCarthy has consistently said he would welcome a Rodgers reunion.
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor notes (video link) May 18 is still a date to watch closely in this situation. That marks the beginning of the Steelers’ OTAs. Pittsburgh’s preference would no doubt be to have Rodgers under contract before that point, and finances are not believed to be an issue as it pertains to the four-time MVP. It will be interesting to see if recent talks involving his agent have laid the groundwork for a contract.
If Rodgers does not wind up joining the team relatively soon, attention will turn to a potential Howard-Rudolph training camp competition. Howard, 24, did not seen any action during the regular season as a rookie, while Rudolph has 19 starts to his name. The 30-year-old returned to Pittsburgh last offseason, and he is on the books for one more year. With the Steelers aiming to contend for the playoffs once again in 2026, expectations would likely be tempered in the event their quarterback setup arrived at such a situation. That would of course be avoided with a Rodgers signing, but uncertainty still looms over his immediate future.
Just pack up and move to your cave in Ouagadougou already
This would be my take too if steelers didn’t add a bunch of veterans again this offseason
I was ready for full rebuild but i guess they want to waste a bunch of money in the process
I see no elite prime aged talent on this team. Maybe Harmon and JPJ. The rest are past prime
Oooof
I agree
They’d be better off with a less costly, potential bridge QB this year and if it doesn’t work out, they’ll be better positioned for next year’s draft/
He’s only gonna cost 17 mil
If that’s your sentiment, then Rodgers should be your choice
I prefer to win zero games and pick 1st in every round next year
This is so sad. More so that you keep covering every move by this ahole. Pathetic.
I understand your sentiment, but it’s quite possible that Rodgers last year was better at QB than Howard, Rudolph and Allar combined.
every year that prima donna taKes all the 1st team snaps puts the other qb’s a year behind in their development. Every first round playoff loss makes this old defense older. They are chewing up their future for mediocre seasons.
Yep, the Steelers are going into their third year of putting band-aids on the QB position…
He just doesn’t want to do all the OTA stuff. He’ll sign eventually.
Correct
And the rest of the team will tune him out. That’s what happened for the past 3-4 years. Everyone is sweating it out, while Aaron trips in S. America, goes to Egypt, non-stop press conferences telling all how great he is……The other players will ignore him &, soon enough, the franchise.
The perks of being a 2 time MVP and SB champion
What? Tune him out from what? He calls the plays and runs them. This isn’t rocket science. He’s not there as a motivational speaker.
He’s not as good as he used to be. That’s the main issue. But he’s still good enough, and a huge upgrade over what they currently have.
I wouldn’t pay attention to a selfish ‘Look at me!’ brat. Sure, If I was under 3 years in the league, I’d get the ‘coolness’ of playing w/ Aaron, but experienced vets won’t.
This is a situation where a vet OL might just have a ‘bad game’ and let their QB and his ego get crushed. I certainly hope so.
And OL isn’t going to intentionally get their QB hit and potentially ruin the teams season and their future earnings just cause they don’t like him.
Contrary to opinions online, believe it or not their teammates generally like Aaron Rodgers and Ben Roethlisberger, and relate to them more than you.
This is based on nothing btw. Save the schoolgirl gossip
There is a freeze warning in Pittsburgh tonight. Please tell me why Aaron Rodgers should be in a hurry to get to Pittsburgh.
Because nowhere with good weather wants him.
They offered Rodger’s 15.5m but he wants 25.5 that’s why he won’t sign. Forget him!
Why are everyone’s panties in a bunch over a washed up QB that drives the bus over his teammates annually ? He is a shell of his old self and will do nothing but stunt the growth of the young potential on the team. Enough already. Dude is bottom 10 in the league right now anyway … good grief.
Agreed
Let’s be realistic and let’s be fair. Middle ten at this point. Somewhere between 12 and 18. Not worth standing in line for, certes but bottom 10. If Rodgers doesn’t retire soon though, he may have the season which you anticipate. Which would be an awful way to go out. At least last year he made the playoffs, had a great end of season game (probably ended John Harbaugh’s career as Raven’s head coach and then in the next game ended Mike Tomlin’s career as a head coach).
He certainly could be in that conversation , I get it. Speaking for me personally , he’s bottom 5 but I’m basing that on more to do with him as a person than his talent. Middle 10 talent but I’d take 25 guys over him on my team as QB , no question.
That’s just personal. But yes, the I’m god’s gift, I don’t need to practice attitude is not the stuff of which championships are made.
Brady has half the talent and 7x the Super Bowl wins, won on his own grit, application and the effect of Brady’s dedication and focus on his teammates.
“The future Hall of Famer was indeed in Pittsburgh, but contact was not made with the team”.
Rodgers was probably in Pittsburgh Kansas seeking a tryout with the Pittsburgh State Gorillas 🙂
Time to stop waiting on an Aging Quarterback, and Move Forward.
Howard & Allar should be the two competing for the job, not Rudolph.
Or Rogers.
Let Allar and Howard try to discourage the team from signing a QB next year.
Allar is the only one of the 4 with the potential to be the long term answer.
Allar was out for a year in college due to injuries. How fit is he?
He wasn’t out for a year. He played half the season.
My dream scenario would be Rodgers coming to the team saying “I’m ready to go” and the team saying “Hit the road, we don’t need you.”
Love that scenario!
Maybe the Steelers told Rodgers he needs to prove his “wife” exists before they offer a contract. And he’s been unable to do so. 🙂
Quit wasting time and money on Rodger’s imo he is a has been. He will turn 43 iirc this season so the Steelers need to concentrate on preparing Mason and having Howard and Allar as back ups
PLEASE move on without Rodgers and stick with the QBs that you have to see what shakes out. It can’t be any worse than watching them blow the game to the browns because Rodgers did not want to give up the record breaking sack. THAT WAS PATHETIC!!!!
This is a dysfunctional organization, has been for over a decade plus but masked by tough guy head coach and the mystique of good old times. No better than what we saw with the raiders for 20 years. Who cares about “but but but we had a winning record barely”.
I have to say it again… This fiasco is no longer on Rodgers. It’s on the Steelers. At some point, an organization HAS to have enough backbone to say, “Here’s our offer. Sign it by (whatever date) or the offer is off the table.” Letting him hold a club hostage up to and beyond the draft is unacceptable… except in Pittsburgh, apparently.