It sounds like the Pittsburgh Steelers could lose out on Aaron Rodgers to retirement. Rodgers, who visited the Steelers facility last week, now has to decide between the Steelers and retirement.
Adam Schefter of ESPN joined ESPN Milwaukee to talk about Rodgers, and said that he is hearing Rodgers may not want to play anymore.
“They both need each other right now, frankly,” Schefter said of the Steelers and Rodgers. “But that’s if Aaron wants to play. But I’m not convinced yet that he does... I’m hearing he might not want to play.”
If Rodgers is leaning even into the question of retirement, that leaves the Steelers in a limbo where they could be left in the dark, and as a result, pivot to Mason Rudolph as the starting quarterback.
Rodgers has dealt with a lot of injuries over the last few years of his career, including a season-ending torn achilles in 2023. Even last year, Rodgers battled through season-long knee and hamstring ailments that forced him to be in pain for much of the year.
For a player that is no longer at the peak of his powers, it is completely rational for Rodgers to potentially retire. Of course, taking a visit to Pittsburgh and getting to know their coaching staff does not point to a player that wants to retire, and Rodgers told the Jets before they cut him he wanted to keep playing.
The longer it carries on, the worse the outlook is for the Steelers, who have signaled to Rodgers they are okay with waiting. Yet, there are two scenarios, even without other teams, that could leave the Steelers without a dance partner.
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