The Pittsburgh Steelers seem content to wait for a decision from Aaron Rodgers, with [OLB Alex Highsmith saying the team will be excited](https://steelersdepot.com/2025/05/alex-highsmith-on-idea-of-aaron-rodgers-possibly-signing-were-going-to-be-really-excited/) when he signs. In the past, that wouldn’t have been the case, according to former Steelers S Mike Logan.
“These teams are a little different than what we had. We wouldn’t have tolerated this,” Logan said Friday on the [The Kaboly + Mack Show](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDwO3XQFIno). “We would’ve been like, ‘Yo, you coming or not?’ You know what I mean? Can you imagine Joey Porter, if Joey Porter sitting there in the locker room and we don’t got no quarterback and we’re trying to figure out, bro he might have seen this dude out in Vegas and punched him in the face or something.”
“We wouldn’t have tolerated that. I’m sure there are some conversations and maybe even if he does have a handshake agreement with the front office about when he’s coming, why keep it behind closed doors and why keep it under wraps?”
The NFL has changed since Logan’s time, where players have taken more control over where they play and what they want. Pittsburgh’s locker room doesn’t seem to have a problem waiting for Rodgers, but there were some big personalities in the locker room when Logan was on the team from 2001-2006 who may not have been happy waiting for someone like Rodgers to make up his mind on when he’s going to sign – or if he’s going to sign.
The current Steelers may be more content waiting given there’s a familiar face at quarterback in Mason Rudolph, who spent 2018-2023 with the Steelers and has drawn a lot of praise from his teammates. If Rodgers signs, though, he’s going to supplant Rudolph as the starter, and with OTAs beginning next week, going into the start of offseason practices without their expected starting quarterback could put the Steelers at a disadvantage.
Given that OTAs are voluntary, Rodgers missing them won’t be a huge deal, but not having him in the building for mandatory minicamp, which begins June 10, could be an issue. Art Rooney II said the Steelers will continue to wait “a little while longer” for Rodgers, so there’s not a ton of urgency, at least publicly, right now from the team to get something done.
At this point, Aaron Rodgers is also really the only viable starting option who’s still available, so while the delay is certainly frustrating, the players in the locker room might recognize that he’s their best chance to lead the Steelers to playoff success. That could play into why there isn’t outward frustration that he hasn’t signed, but there’s little question that Rodgers’ delay would’ve been an issue and not taken as well had it happened two decades prior.