Aaron Rodgers
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The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's Ray Fittipaldo reported the Pittsburgh Steelers "truly don't know" what Aaron Rodgers's plans are for the 2026 NFL season.
Pundits around the league who want to criticize the Pittsburgh Steelers for waiting on a decision from Aaron Rodgers generally portray the team as having no idea what the veteran quarterback might decide for 2026.
The same was the case last year.
However, Rodgers met with Mike Tomlin and the Steelers for a six-hour visit on March 21 last year. He didn’t sign a contract until June 5, but a lot of pundits speculated the team had a strong indication during that time gap Rodgers was going to come to Pittsburgh.
That’s why there were repeated reports last spring about “all the signs” pointing to Rodgers landing with the Steelers.
Even if that was the case last year, though, — with the Steelers having strong feelings about Rodgers’s mindset — that doesn’t appear to exist now.
That’s what The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Ray Fittipaldo said with his latest Rodgers update on the “P-G’s North Shore Drive” podcast.
“They truly don’t know what Aaron Rodgers is gonna do,” Fittipaldo said, via Steelers Depot’s Ross McCorkle. “They think he’s coming back; they hope he’s coming back.”
“If Aaron Rodgers doesn’t come back, the Steelers would never say it out loud, but that’s their chance to reset, right?
“They could actually go into the 2026 season, I’m not saying Will Howard would be the Day 1 starter, but eventually, at some point in ’26, they would find out about him.”
Is Aaron Rodgers Holding Steelers ‘Hostage?’
There’s a growing narrative around the league that the 4-time MVP quarterback is holding the Steelers hostage this offseason. Fittipaldo’s report isn’t going to do much to slow down that talk.
Former NFL general manager Doug Whaley called the Steelers “hostages” in Rodgers’s 2026 free agency while appearing on 93.7 The Fan on March 12. National pundits repeated that hot take throughout last week.
Steelers legend Rod Woodson didn’t use the term hostage. But he encouraged the team to move on from the veteran quarterback when he discussed the topic with NFL broadcaster Rich Eisen.
“What is it with these ex-Green Bay Packers quarterbacks that they have to be talked about all the time?” Woodson said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, via NFL.com’s Grant Gordon. “‘Cause Brett Favre was that way for years. Remember how we used to have to talk about Brett Favre, talk about Brett Favre.”
If the Steelers had an inkling that Rodgers wanted to return, they could go about their offseason in a normal fashion. But without a clear indication one way or another, that gets a lot trickier.
It will become harder and harder for the team to have a Plan B for Rodgers as the offseason progresses.
The top quarterbacks available this offseason already have new teams. The next wave of signings could include potential backups such as Kirk Cousins and Joe Flacco.
Why the Steelers Want Rodgers to Return for 2026
The prospects of Rodgers returning for 2026 were wishy-washy right after the team lost in the AFC wild card round during January.
Following Mike Tomlin’s departure, team president Art Rooney II strongly suggested Rodgers wouldn’t be back next season. But then the Steelers hired former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy, who coached Rodgers for his first 14 NFL campaigns.
A reunion quickly went back on the table and even appeared likely according to a lot of reporters, who said Rodgers would make a 2026 decision before free agency.
But that didn’t happen, and the quarterback didn’t seem in much of a rush to make a decision when he appeared on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show on March 4
“There’s been no deadline that’s been put in front of me. There’s no contract offer or anything. So, there’s nothing that I’m having to debate between,” said Rodgers. “I’m a free agent and, again, I’m enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the offseason.”
ESPN’s Brooke Pryor had a positive update on contract talks between Rodgers and the Steelers on Sunday. But Pryor made clear the quarterback hasn’t made a decision whether he wants to play.
“Though Rodgers hasn’t given the Steelers a concrete answer on his future, the two sides continue to engage in positive conversations, and Rodgers is aware of the ongoing roster construction,” wrote Pryor.
In the meantime, the Steelers will keep waiting. According to Fittipaldo, they will wait without really knowing which way Rodgers is leaning.