Several reports have confirmed that Aaron Rodgers is in Pittsburgh this weekend, but despite renewed speculation about a deal finally getting done, he has neither met with the Steelers nor scheduled a visit to the team facility. At least not yet.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac shared the latest update.
“Aaron Rodgers has been in town for a couple days, but the Steelers have not met with him yet and instead have been talking with his agent, sources told the Post-Gazette,” Dulac wrote. “Rodgers has stayed away from the team’s South Side facility with the three-day rookie minicamp going on this weekend. But it’s possible he could meet with them in the next day or two if matters get worked out with the team and his agent.”
From the moment Mike McCarthy was hired, it became clear the Steelers wanted Aaron Rodgers back for another season. Rodgers also sounded open to the possibility, declining to immediately retire and speaking at the end of the season like someone leaning toward one more year.
That speculation was confirmed by every major Steelers decision-maker, with Omar Khan, Art Rooney II, and Mike McCarthy all strongly hinting at positive, ongoing communication throughout the offseason. McCarthy even said he speaks to him on at least a weekly basis.
Rooney’s initial deadline of the draft came and went with no action, and he has since set a new “deadline” at the start of OTAs. Those will begin on May 18, so the latest line in the sand is rapidly approaching.
Rodgers’ visit to Pittsburgh seemed to indicate forthcoming action, but it appears his travel may have been for other reasons unrelated to business. Still, it would make sense for him to meet with the team while in town if he has any intention of returning for another season.
So what’s the holdup? Dulac’s reporting makes it sound like a contractual issue — something his reports have downplayed all offseason as a possible sticking point in the process. He doubled down on that stance in this latest report.
“They have also believed financial terms on a one-year contract were never an issue, according to sources,” he wrote.
It’s hard to imagine what that may be if not financially related, especially since his agent is the one doing the talking at the moment.
If money truly is not the issue, it only deepens the mystery surrounding what exactly continues to delay an agreement. Either way, Rodgers’ presence in Pittsburgh has not yet produced the breakthrough many assumed was imminent.
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