How Steelers reportedly truly feel about ongoing Aaron Rodgers saga

According to numerous reporters, people within the Pittsburgh Steelers truly don't know if 42-year-old Aaron Rodgers will either re-sign with the club to serve as its starting quarterback for another season or retire. 

Recently, Steelers legend and Hall of Fame running back Jerome Bettis suggested he would understand if some Pittsburgh players were at least a little annoyed that they're participating in the voluntary portion of the offseason program while Rodgers remains unsigned. During a Monday appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter addressed how people within the Steelers are handling this latest Rodgers-related saga. 

Are the Steelers frustrated that Aaron Rodgers hasn't yet made a decision?

"They're not frustrated," Schefter said, per Joe Clark of Steelers Depot. "I just think people thought there would be an answer. I remember asking various people, and they're like, 'We should have an answer within 30 days.' And then 30 days came and went. I'm like, 'Where are we at now?' 'We should have an answer mid-March.' It's mid-March, and we don't have an answer." 

The Steelers reportedly are comfortable with having longtime backup Mason Rudolph and 2025 rookie Will Howard as their top options at the position amid springtime workouts. There's no indication that those running the club are bummed that signal-callers Malik Willis, Tua Tagovailoa, Kyler Murray and Kirk Cousins signed elsewhere in free agency. Thus, some are understandably assuming it's a matter of when, not if, Rodgers will re-sign with Pittsburgh. 

Will the Steelers get an Aaron Rodgers decision before the 2026 NFL Draft?

Steelers president Art Rooney II has said on multiple occasions that he expects to learn Rodgers' decision before the 2026 NFL Draft gets underway in Pittsburgh on the night of April 23. 

"We gonna have an answer? I don't know," Schefter said about a possible draft-related deadline for a Rodgers announcement. "Wait and see." 

Last offseason, Rodgers inked a team-friendly contract to join the Steelers right before their mandatory minicamp took place in June. It sounds like new Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy would be just fine if history repeats itself for the AFC North club this spring.