Art Rooney may not have set an explicit deadline but certainly a timeline for when he and the Pittsburgh Steelers want to know if Aaron Rodgers is playing in 2026. At the owner’s meetings, Rooney told reporters he “expects” Rodgers to decide by the NFL Draft that’s just over two weeks away. Despite the relative strength of Rooney’s commentary, ESPN’s Adam Schefter thinks Rodgers could blow past that deadline without consequence.
“I don’t think there’s a deadline, but I do think the Steelers would like to know before the draft,” Schefter said during a Tuesday interview on the Pat McAfee Show. “I don’t think it matters. I think if Aaron just dragged this into May or June, he could do that.”
Rooney told the PPG’s Gerry Dulac that Rodgers communicated to the organization his 2026 decision won’t take as long as 2025. The previous decision wasn’t finalized until he signed a one-year contract in early June.
In timeline from when the clock began, the decision has already taken as long. Rodgers became a free agent from the New York Jets last March and signed with Pittsburgh in June, a three-month timeline. From Mike McCarthy’s late-January hire to now has been nearly three months. Perhaps that’s why the team thinks Rodgers’ answer will come before the draft.
Even if it doesn’t, there’s no sign the Steelers will move on from Rodgers. There aren’t any starting-caliber veterans to pursue, and the team is unlikely to draft a passer in the first round. So far, they’ve shown little interest in Alabama’s Ty Simpson even as select analysts believe the team secretly is a fan.
“I don’t mean to oversimplify this, but either you want play or you don’t,” Schefter said. “It shouldn’t be that hard.”
It’s a sentiment shared by fans and likely the organization. Deciding whether to play or retire is no small choice, and it’s fair to give Rodgers time and grace. But it’s left Pittsburgh playing the waiting game for two straight offseasons. And if Rodgers returns, it delays the next chapter into the Steelers trying to find a long-term answer.
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