The Pittsburgh Steelers are playing one heck of a waiting game for Aaron Rodgers. As the calendar is set to turn from March to April, the Steelers are still unsure who their 2025 starter will be. However, according to ESPN insider Jeremy Fowler, the team remains confident Rodgers will ultimately come to Pittsburgh for more than a visit.
“They’re willing to be pretty patient,” Fowler told [SportsCenter’s Amina Smith Friday.](https://x.com/JFowlerESPN/status/1906001075838087411) “My sense is the Steelers remain optimistic here, and they are willing to wait.”
The [New York Giants’ signing Russell Wilson](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/03/report-russell-wilson-signing-with-giants/) and bowing out of the Rodgers sweepstakes appeared to be an admission that Rodgers intends to sign with Pittsburgh. If not the Steelers, his other playing options are limited. He can wait out the Minnesota Vikings and hope they become more interested down the road or for some other opportunity to open up should injuries strike in the spring and summer. Neither are solid plans if Rodgers wants to play one more season.
Pittsburgh signed Mason Rudolph back and has an eye toward the future. But their pursuit of a potential rookie quarterback won’t take them off the Rodgers’ trail.
“So the Steelers appear all-in,” Fowler said of their interest in Rodgers. “I know they’re doing a lot of homework on draft-eligible quarterbacks to potentially pull the trigger on one of those. They still have their sight set on Rodgers. Timeline is still very loose here to figure that out.”
For Rodgers, retirement has also always been an option. Turning 42 in December, Rodgers is at the end of his career, and walking away after a torn Achilles in 2023 and a difficult 2024 season is logical. But the universal belief is that Rodgers wants to play at least one more season and possibly longer, especially if he can do so for a contender.
Perhaps that’s his dilemma. Is Pittsburgh in a good-enough position to win now? The Steelers are always Wild Card competitive, but they haven’t won a postseason game in eight years. In 2024, they tried a similar strategy with Russell Wilson, signing the castaway veteran in the hopes that his experience, leadership, and Super Bowl resume would put them over the top. The results were no different.
Adding WR DK Metcalf is attractive, and if the Steelers’ young offensive line develops, Pittsburgh will have the pieces together to create a top-ten unit. Still, it hasn’t been enough to make Rodgers jump at the chance. Even as Pittsburgh remains the favorite, if only because they’re the last team standing, the wait is making everyone anxious.