The Pittsburgh Steelers might have a timeline for Aaron Rodgers' decision built into the offseason program. Rodgers will continue to mull over his decision and could sign at any point, but with no true indication on where he will go, it remains to be seen when he will choose between the Steelers, New York Giants, and retirement.
The Steelers, however, have a soft deadline they might have set. Rodgers probably knows it, too. It is for offseason workouts, which for teams with returning head coaches, such as the Steelers, can start on April 21st. In a vacuum that does not mean much.
After all, Rodgers skipped out on the entirety of OTAs last year for the New York Jets. Yet, that was without the team learning a new offense and a group that was already used to his hand signals.
Notoriously, Rodgers has some of the more intricate hand signals in the NFL. That takes time for new receivers to learn, and preparing with the Jets in his first season with the team, Rodgers was around the team throughout much of the voluntary process to install those signals and concepts.
When a team signs someone like Rodgers, they will naturally inherit some things Rodgers likes, including his hand signals and concepts that he loves. All of that installation begins as early as those voluntary workouts in April.
So, April 21st would begin the process to get those intricate processes down. Rodgers knows it this is going to work, everyone has to be on the same page with his system, and so that date seems about right if he is going to sign with a team.
Rodgers, 41, does not have to play for that reason. Embarking into a new offense and learning those concepts as well as meshing it with his own takes time and work. Yet, Rodgers' unique quirks are so different than other quarterbacks and require time with the offensive skill players that the April 21st date seems to be right for a potential deadline on his signing.
When Rodgers was traded from the Green Bay Packers to the Jets, he took up until the week of the NFL Draft to sign the deal and ultimately check off on the trade. However, he inked his deal right as the voluntary workouts started. A very similar idea could be coming this offseason as Rodgers regroups and looks at his options.
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