The Pittsburgh Steelers are holding out for Aaron Rodgers, again. Just like he did last season, GM Omar Khan is giving the future Hall of Famer as much time as he needs to decide whether he wants to retire or play again.
Rodgers has been vocal about how much he enjoyed his year in Pittsburgh, and with a familiar face in Mike McCarthy replacing head coach Mike Tomlin, he might be leaning toward a return.
However, it looks like he’s not going to jump to a decision. According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport, he’s not going to let the Steelers know what’s on his mind until the end of the month:
“My understanding was Aaron Rodgers had planned to inform these Steelers of his decision at some point before the draft with plenty of time,” Rapoport said on Good Morning Football. “I would say likely end of this month.”
Rodgers has teased retirement for the past couple of years. He even infamously attended a darkness retreat before deciding he wanted to sign with the New York Jets.
He comes with some eccentricities and incendiary takes, but he’s still one of the greatest pure passers to ever lace them up. He completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven picks last season, and while those numbers aren’t impressive by his standards, those would’ve been career numbers for most NFL quarterbacks.
Even so, the Steelers are much more than one Aaron Rodgers away from being a Super Bowl contender, especially at this point in his career.
If Rodgers decides that he’s done and wants to ride into the sunset, the Steelers will be left with little to no options at quarterback. That said, this team is long overdue for a rebuild, so that might not be the worst scenario for them.