Justin Berl/Getty Images

Aaron Rodgers Biographer Makes NFL Signing Prediction

Originally posted on The Spun | By Andrew Gould | Last updated May 18, 2025 2:44 PM ET

The Aaron Rodgers saga remains unresolved. One writer who has extensively covered the quarterback predicted the outcome.

Amid weeks of speculation, the Pittsburgh Steelers are still waiting on Rodgers to decide his plans. Ian O'Connor, who wrote Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers, spoke to The PM Team w/Poni & Mueller about the ongoing situation on Friday.

O'Connor guessed that Rodgers would ultimately join Pittsburgh for the 2025 season.

"I do think there will be a happy ending, at least for him, and we will find out for the Steelers and their fan base," O'Connor said. "If I had $100 to put down, my feeling is he will be in uniform June 10th for the start of the mandatory minicamp."

Rodgers previously told Pat McAfee that personal matters delayed his decision. While O'Connor wouldn't disclose his "pretty good sense" of what Rodgers was referring to, the reporter doesn't think the issue will prevent the 41-year-old from playing this season.

O'Connor believes Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has already given a "verbal sign-off" on Rodgers. He later speculated that there's "no way" the Steelers would have waited until the sixth round to draft a quarterback (Will Howard) unless they had a firm commitment from the four-time MVP.

"I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he's told [the Steelers], 'Listen, I'm gonna play for you. I just don't want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I'm pretty sure they're gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction where I can give you my all,'" O'Connor said.

O'Connor called Pittsburgh a "perfect place" for Rodgers to end his career. The Steelers would provide him more organizational stability than the New York Jets and give him a chance to end on a higher note than a messy 2024 campaign.

"He knows it was an embarrassment in New York largely, and he’s the face of that embarrassment," O’Connor said. "Whether that's fair or not, that's the case. I actually think this is, maybe me as an optimist, I think this is going to work out," O'Connor said. "Do I think the Steelers are going to win the Super Bowl? No. But if you told me 11-6 with at least one playoff victory, the first with that franchise since 2016, I think that's realistic. I think that this could be a success story, and certainly a worthy ending for him."

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: