Have Steelers given Aaron Rodgers a deadline regarding potential retirement decision?

Barring what would be a surprising development, Aaron Rodgers is expected to either re-sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers to serve as their starting quarterback for the 2026 season or retire. 

Steelers owner/president Art Rooney II said on multiple occasions ahead of the Easter holiday that he expected to learn of Rodgers' decision before the 2026 NFL Draft gets underway in Pittsburgh on the night of April 23. Such comments understandably caused some to assume that the Steelers have a Rodgers-related deadline in mind, but ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter suggested during a Tuesday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show" that isn't the case. 

Will Aaron Rodgers definitely make a decision before the draft?

"I don't think there's a deadline, but I do think the Steelers would like to know before the draft," Schefter said about the Rodgers situation, per Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. "I don't think it matters. I think if Aaron just dragged this into May or June, he could do that."

Former Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin allegedly knew before last year's draft that he'd have Rodgers as his QB1, but the future Hall of Famer didn't officially put pen to paper on a one-year contract to join the Steelers until June. Meanwhile, the Steelers apparently made no real effort to sign one of the available big-name quarterbacks who have since found new NFL homes this offseason. Kirk Cousins was reportedly on the Steelers' radar in March, but he is now a member of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Adam Schefter seems to blast Aaron Rodgers for not yet signing with Steelers

As recently as for a piece published Wednesday, ESPN's Brooke Pryor noted that the Steelers "appear more likely to use their first-round pick on a position other than quarterback" during the upcoming draft. That could lead one to believe that the Steelers remain confident that they'll have Rodgers as their QB1 over longtime backup Mason Rudolph and 2025 rookie Will Howard this coming September. 

That said, Schefter seemed to take somewhat of a shot at Rodgers on Tuesday. 

"I don't mean to oversimplify this," Schefter added while speaking about Rodgers, "but either you want to play, or you don't. It shouldn't be that hard."

Rooney and Co. seemingly aren't losing sleep about Rodgers' status, but it now sounds like the 42-year-old could remain unsigned through at least the end of April.