Aaron Rodgers appears to be the Steelers’ last best hope at quarterback, at least in their eyes. After the Vikings publicly declared support for J.J. McCarthy and the Giants signed Russell Wilson, the options on the table for both parties are few. The Steelers brought back Mason Rudolph, but they are not looking for him to start. Rodgers is running out of teams to play for—but there’s a caveat to that, too.
The thing is, Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have to play for the Steelers because he doesn’t have to play at all. And one wonders if that is increasingly becoming a possibility as his options dwindle. As we sit here today, Rodgers seems to have two choices: sign with the Steelers or retire. And I can’t help but notice that the possibility of retirement seems to be mentioned more prominently in social media posts from national media members discussing his options.
Some Steelers fans, of course, would welcome Rodgers retiring over signing with their team. Nobody can deny that he is a polarizing personality, and he is not in the prime of his career. After all, he hasn’t led a team to a winning record in a few years now. And the prospect of retirement has hovered over him for years. Remember when he was going to host Jeopardy?
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Since hearing that Rodgers could decide between the Steelers and Giants in a matter of days, the Giants decided to stop waiting and signed Russell Wilson. They already added Jameis Winston and hold the third-overall pick, so are likely out of the Aaron Rodgers Multiverse.
So unless the Vikings jump back in, Rodgers’ only current option seems to be the Steelers. Perhaps that’s why he is dragging his feet. Some have speculated that his delay is an attempt at a power play, whether for ego or bargaining.
But what if Rodgers doesn’t actually really want to play for the Steelers, at the offered terms? It’s likely that they are not offering him the sort of contract he has grown used to, especially based on the deal Wilson signed with the Giants.
At this point in his career, he has nothing to prove. Aaron Rodgers is a no-doubt Hall-of-Famer and has a Super Bowl title in a win over the Steelers. He is already in his 40s and has earned close to $400 million during his career. He certainly doesn’t need football, let alone Pittsburgh and Mike Tomlin. And quite obviously, he views himself as more than just an athlete.
So while it appears that the Steelers’ competition from other teams for Rodgers has effectively vanished, they still have that other hurdle to clear. They have to convince him that it’s worth his while to continue to play in the first place.
Now, many say that if you’re thinking about retiring, then you’re already retired. That’s probably true less often than the aphorism suggests, but Rodgers hasn’t been consistently elite in a few years, and the Steelers are not going to be getting a league MVP if he does sign with them. But what do they have if he doesn’t?
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