The Pittsburgh Steelers waited for him.
They they agreed with him.
And now, on Monday afternoon, they have officially signed quarterback Aaron Rodgers ... all with the hope, of course, that he cen be better than he was during his two-year stint with the New York Jets.
Of course, that time was defined by a 2023 Achilles tear that ruined that season. Rodgers made a full recovery but was relatively ineffective in 2024, burdened in large part by the age of the four-time MVP.
He's now 41. He's going to make a base salary of just $13.65 million.
That's a bargain ...
Unless he can't play well.
Rodgers needs to elevate a playoff-ready Steelers roster - Pittsburgh did survive the grueling AFC North to make the postseason last year with above-average quarterbacking.
And now that Rodgers' name is on the NFL transaction wire (as of 4:45 p.m. ET)? That process starts with showing up to work with the rest of the fellas.
The Steelers new quarterback didn't always do that during Jets tenure. Among his missteps was the fiasco that came with his trip to Egypt. Rodgers missed the team’s minicamp, creating headlines that only got worse when New York looked out of sync for much of the year.
But this time around?
By not missing Pittsburgh's minicamp, he should earn back some of the goodwill spent on his delayed decision.
Rodgers has gone public about his admiration for head coach Mike Tomlin and for the Steelers as an organization.
Respect is a start.
"I've been around a lot of Pittsburgh people over the years, and I have loved my time with all of them," Rodgers recently said on "The Pat McAfee Show.” "I have learned to speak the language really well ... It's a great blue-collar town. It's got a lot of history, that city. Mike Tomlin, been there forever... I have a ton of respect for Mike, I think he's a fantastic coach, I love the way that he leads, I love the way that he talks after games, he also seems to keep things really even-keeled, and it looks like he's somebody that the players love playing for."
Rodgers said that right thing. And now he's officially done the next thing.
Now comes minicamp with "No. 8'' wearing the black and gold.