April is here, and the Pittsburgh Steelers still don’t have an answer from Aaron Rodgers. It feels like he’s going to sign with them. Rodgers was even recently seen throwing to DK Metcalf. No one seems to know why Rodgers is waiting. Mike Florio has heard from some people in the NFL who have their theories on why Rodgers is taking so much time to make a decision.
“I had somebody suggest to me yesterday, and I’m just sharing what I heard, what this person’s opinion is,” Florio said Wednesday on his podcast, Pro Football Talk. “It’s not a fact; it’s not a report. But it’s somebody who is in the ecosystem and isn’t a low-level employee. This is a high-level person with one of the teams. The opinion is he doesn’t really want to play for the Steelers, and he’s waiting for Minnesota.”
That would explain why Rodgers has continued to wait. At the moment, the Steelers seem like the only team interested in him. The New York Giants were also reportedly targeting Rodgers, but they’ve moved on. That leaves Pittsburgh as the only horse left in the race.
However, that could change. Reports were that Rodgers wanted to join the Minnesota Vikings. However, the Vikings have decided to move ahead with young starter J.J. McCarthy. There was a feeling that the Vikings didn’t completely shut the door on Rodgers, though. If they feel like McCarthy isn’t ready to start, they might circle back to Rodgers if he’s still available.
This person Florio talked to seems to believe that. Rodgers could decide to wait to see if the Vikings change their mind. This would likely give Rodgers a better chance at competing for a Super Bowl. Last year, with Sam Darnold starting, they won 14 games.
Rodgers could help them raise their ceiling. Signing him would probably leave McCarthy on the bench, though. The Vikings invested a first-round pick in him and want him to be their quarterback of the future. Delaying his crowning as the starter could hurt his development, although Rodgers could make the Vikings better right now.
There’s no way to tell if any of that is true. If Rodgers joins the Steelers, he probably won’t tell everyone that they were his second choice. However, if he continues to drag this process out, even past the draft, then maybe he is waiting on the Vikings. That wouldn’t be ideal for the Steelers. If Rodgers continues to wait or actually signs with the Vikings, their options under center won’t be great.
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