With Aaron Rodgers still unsigned by the Pittsburgh Steelers and the first day of voluntary OTAs out of the way, it’s fair to wonder how confident the team is in eventually getting a deal done, especially with the recent reports of Kirk Cousins being on the Steelers’ radar. The timing of that raised my eyebrows. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, nothing has changed on the Rodgers front. All signs continue to point to him being a Steeler.
“It would be a surprise if Aaron Rodgers is not on the Steelers right now,” Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network’s The Insiders. I’m not saying he’s made a decision. I’m not saying retirement’s ruled out, but it would be a surprise. Maybe a better question is just when, and to me, the one that makes the most sense is for Rodgers to announce…right before mandatory minicamp.”
The vast majority of local and national insiders have been predicting that Rodgers’ decision will drag on until mandatory minicamp. It should be no surprise that he missed the first day of voluntary practice. Art Rooney II did state a preference for Rodgers to be at some of the offseason program if he planned on signing, but there are still eight more practices to go, including mandatory minicamp starting on June 10.
Nothing is preventing Rodgers from showing up for the second week of voluntary OTAs. Extra time with the playbook and with teammates would be a positive, but it won’t make or break the Steelers’ 2025 season. T.J. Watt, Darius Slay, DK Metcalf, and Isaac Seumalo also didn’t participate today. Troy Polamalu rarely attended the voluntary portion of OTAs throughout his career.
Cam Heyward said earlier today, after practice, that the media makes too much of the importance of OTAs. Do they help? Of course, they can, but they aren’t going to make or break a 20-year veteran or the overall cohesion of the team.
If he misses all nine sessions of OTAs and minicamp, then it might be time to start worrying.
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