Aaron Rodgers took his time signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers last year. The first report connecting Rodgers to the Steelers came on March 10th. However, he didn’t officially sign with the team until June 5th. The Steelers waited months for Rodgers to decide he wanted to play for them, and they could do the same this offseason. Nick Wright thinks that would be a mistake, though.
“If the Steelers want to say, ‘Aaron [Rodgers], there’s no football business going on right now anyway, so take the next few weeks,’ fine,” Wright said Wednesday on FS1’s First Things First. “If this is like it was last time, where we are well into the spring calendar, booking summer vacations, and we don’t know what they’re doing, that’s an embarrassment for the Steelers.
“Because the argument for doing it last year was, ‘We’re gonna wait because maybe we can win a championship.’ Instead, they got exactly what the realistic best-case scenario was… You now know that’s the best you can realistically hope for. To wait for that would be embarrassing for the franchise.”
“Aaron Rodgers should not need more time to figure out what he’s doing than Travis Kelce.”@getnickwright thinks it would be embarrassing for the Steelers to wait until early summer for a decision from AR: pic.twitter.com/eBWIBhWfon
— First Things First (@FTFonFS1) February 11, 2026
To be clear, the Steelers seemed confident throughout the process that Rodgers would eventually sign with them. Mike Tomlin even said that he had an inkling that the four-time MVP was coming to Pittsburgh.
The wait felt more like just another part of Rodgers’ process. He created a stir when he didn’t attend some offseason activities for the New York Jets in 2024. Rodgers probably wanted to avoid that unnecessary drama by signing with the Steelers when he was ready to join them.
A recent report indicated that the Steelers are willing to wait for Rodgers again. It’s likely that he once again has an open line of communication with them. While Tomlin is gone, Rodgers has a long history with Mike McCarthy. He was the quarterback’s head coach from 2006-2018.
McCarthy has already confirmed that he’s talked to Rodgers recently. He understands the four-time MVP more than most people in the league. The Steelers won’t be waiting with bated breath for Rodgers to make a decision. If they wait that long again, they’re probably confident that Rodgers will re-sign with them.
Also, Rodgers being away gives the Steelers an opportunity to see what they have in their other quarterbacks. That includes Will Howard and any potential signal-caller they draft. Reps at events like OTAs mean more to young players like them than they do to Rodgers.
Will it be frustrating for fans to wonder what Rodgers will do? Yes, but the team doesn’t have many better options. There aren’t many obvious upgrades available under center. Maybe Rodgers will play better in his second season in Pittsburgh, too. There’s no guarantee that their season will end the same way.
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