PITTSBURGH -- The Pittsburgh Steelers need for a quarterback seemed to take a step forward today, when Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette announced that Aaron Rodgers was at the Steelers facility.
That was until we learned that he left the facility without signing a deal, signaling a continuation of a saga that could end with the Steelers having Mason Rudolph be the starting quarterback next season.
While the visit was going on, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero spoke to Rich Eisen on the Rich Eisen Show, going into detail about why the visit was different from many other free agents.
"My understanding was this was kind of a last-minute type of thing." Pelissero said. "Aaron Rogers came to the facility, spent some time with coaches, and has been talking to people in the organization for a while now. There have certainly been a lot of signs that he is seriously considering playing his 21st NFL season in Pittsburgh."
Pelissero would then go on to explain why, despite the actual rules and process being similar, the whole ordeal surrounding Rodgers decision would be different.
"Aaron Rogers is doing his own process, and it’s not like anybody else’s process." Pelissero said. "You’re right. In the old days of free agency, it was, 'Hey, if you get the guy in the building, don’t let him leave because if he gets on that plane, he’s probably going to the next place.' With Aaron, he has to make up his mind. He has two teams right now that have put everything else on hold for him."
Now, the Steelers are left to wait on Rodgers to make that eventual decision. A worrisome thought is whether this wait-and-see behavior would translate to his time with the team if he does actually sign with the team.
Make sure to bookmark Steelers On SI to get all your daily Pittsburgh Steelers news, interviews, breakdowns and more!