There are finally signs of life to a potential deal between Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers as he is reportedly in for a visit at the facility today. Reports indicate that no deal is imminent, but it’s another step forward in the process. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk offered a possible explanation of what’s taking so long for the four-time NFL MVP to decide, and in the process revealed just how long the Steelers have had an offer on the table.
“Rodgers’ agent, David Dunn, has been encouraging Rodgers to be patient. Patience can become leverage. Leverage can improve offers,” Florio wrote. “As we understand it, the Steelers have had an offer on the table for nearly two weeks. It hasn’t been sweetened, yet. It could be, in theory.”
The legal tampering period didn’t start until March 10. Assuming the Steelers had an offer in to Rodgers at the earliest possible moment, that would mean the contract has been sitting there for 11 days. That said, it wasn’t announced until March 12 that the Jets were officially going to release him with a post-June 1 designation. I am not certain if a deal could have been on his desk before that point unless given permission by the Jets.
By Florio saying “nearly two weeks,” it sure sounds like they had a deal on his desk when the legal tampering period opened. If that’s the case, could that have been one of the factors in Justin Fields’ decision to sign with the Jets? SI.com’s Albert Breer has called Fields “collateral damage” of the Steelers pursuing Aaron Rodgers.
Other reports have indicated that the Steelers had made an offer to Fields well before the start of the tampering period and were all in on him with a very competitive offer.
At the very least, it sounds like the Steelers had a backup plan in mind all along in case Fields decided to move on. They may have considered him as good as gone by the time the legal tampering period started.
As for the other part of Florio’s report, the P-G’s Gerry Dulac has repeatedly stated that Rodgers’ holdup with the Steelers is not about money. Agents are always trying to secure their clients the best deal, but that doesn’t mean Rodgers always has to listen to him.
While no deal appears imminent despite Rodgers visiting Pittsburgh, Dianna Russini reported that some sources believe a deal could end up getting done as soon as today. At this point, I don’t know what reason the Steelers would have to sweeten the deal with Rodgers’ suitors seemingly down to two.
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