While everyone has an opinion about what Aaron Rodgers will do, Matt LaFleur knows more than most. He served as Rodgers’ head coach for four seasons from 2019 through 2022—before trading him. Still the head coach of the Packers, his team will be playing Rodgers if he signs with the Steelers.
“I’m anticipating that happening, so, I won’t be surprised”, LaFleur told Chris Simms for NBC Sports. “I just can’t see him not playing the game of football this year, and [signing with the Steelers] obviously makes the most sense”.
The Steelers have been courting Rodgers for some time now and have had a contract on the table all along. While he hasn’t signed, some believe he has given the Steelers clear indications that he plans to sign with them. Earlier in the offseason, he spoke publicly about ongoing events in his life—even mentioning retirement. When it comes to LaFleur, it’s more about instinct and knowing who he is.
“I know that, just in our discussions over the years, he’s a guy that he’s had as much respect for as anybody, a guy like Mike Tomlin”, LaFleur said, and Rodgers has been very clear about his appreciation for the Steelers’ head coach in the past. “I could certainly see that coming to fruition here pretty shortly”.
Of course, “pretty shortly” is relative, considering we’re now halfway through May. Teams are ordinarily very concrete in their plans at quarterback at this point. The Steelers, however, have been amenable to uncomfortable situations in recent years. The current situation with Aaron Rodgers is perhaps the most uncomfortable, while Matt LaFleur has Jordan Love.
From the Steelers’ point of view, perhaps, they simply see landing Aaron Rodgers as the cherry on top. They are otherwise content to move forward with Mason Rudolph for 2025, viewing any other option as falling short of Super Bowl aspirations. Most anticipate that they will aggressively pursue a franchise quarterback in 2026.
While Aaron Rodgers is a virtual lock as a first-ballot Hall of Famer, the Steelers are not getting that player. Last season with the Jets, he went 5-12, even if he put up decent passing numbers. But the hope is that his 2023 Achilles injury impacted his play last season, and that they would be getting the best of him.
The last time Rodgers played for LaFleur, he was already slipping. In 2021, however, he won the NFL MVP award for the second consecutive season. He has won the award four times in his career. In Steelers history, only Terry Bradshaw has ever won that award, back in 1978.
Rodgers had a bit of a renaissance when LaFleur took over, but at 41, don’t anticipate him having another with Pittsburgh. The Steelers still believe that he would give them the best chance of winning this year, though. Perhaps they’re right, and perhaps LaFleur is right about Rodgers. But with OTAs looming, when will he sign—if he signs?
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