Pittsburgh Steelers HC Mike Tomlin is showing no concern when it comes to Aaron Rodgers. Ostensibly their preferred choice at quarterback this season, he is taking his sweet time deciding whether to sign. Even though he doesn’t have any other standing offers, he has not committed to signing with the Steelers.
As a result, they have had to pretend not to care. Fielding questions about Rodgers, Tomlin had to act as though the Steelers have any number of options at their disposal. And when it came to pinning down a timeline, it got even worse. In so many words, Tomlin said Rodgers could sign at any time—but please consider doing so before training camp.
“The Tomlin, ‘I haven’t really given that much thought’. Sure, Mike. You haven’t thought about who your starting quarterback is gonna be”, Brian Batko said on the #1 Cochran Sports Showdown on KDKA last night when asked about the Steelers head coach’s comments about Aaron Rodgers.
“It doesn’t really give off any vibe other than what I think a lot of people have on the outside. Which is, [Mike Tomlin and the Steelers are] letting 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers, whose team went 5-12 last year, the Jets, essentially dictate their offseason and the way the season’s gonna go. And I think it’s a bad look for them”.
Specifically, a reporter asked Mike Tomlin if the Steelers would like to have the Aaron Rodgers situation settled before the draft. The idea that he “hadn’t thought a lot about it” is, of course, a stretch. But it serves no purpose for him to say otherwise in public, even if it’s not believable. They have had an offer on the table for some time while Rodgers strolls beaches.
Of course Tomlin has given considerable thought to Rodgers and how the Steelers would utilize him. They knew this would be a big offseason for the quarterback position, even if perhaps not in this way. But he couldn’t try to lean on the quarterback in public.
Instead, Tomlin denied that the Steelers have any deadline for Rodgers to sign. Despite his dragging his feet, he is the one controlling the narrative. The Steelers had ample opportunity to make other arrangements, so they only have themselves to blame.
The Steelers’ first choice was presumably to re-sign Justin Fields, but once that failed to materialize, I would imagine they turned their attention to Aaron Rodgers. At least, they did so once the Jets officially released him.
I would have liked to have gotten a better picture of Budapest than the one that I ended up with. But I had only one day in the city, and Aaron Rodgers didn’t give the Steelers much flexibility. Like Pittsburgh, though, I could have planned better in advance. Instead, we’re all spectators simply waiting for something to happen. And it’s not the best look in the world.
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