Insiders address Steelers' timeline for Aaron Rodgers decision amid Mason Rudolph reports

Recent reports have suggested that the Pittsburgh Steelers could eventually decide to move on from possibly signing free-agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers, in part because the Steelers would allegedly be "fine with" starting longtime backup Mason Rudolph in September. 

During a Tuesday appearance on ESPN's "Get Up" program, NFL insider Adam Schefter made it quite clear that Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin isn't abandoning his plans to have Rodgers atop the depth chart.

"Their first game is not until Sept. 7 when they play the New York Jets," Schefter said about Pittsburgh's Week 1 contest, as shared by Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. "So I would say they're willing to wait until Sept. 7 (for Rodgers)."

Steelers players began reporting for the start of organized team activities on Tuesday morning. The team's final OTA session wraps up on June 5, and Pittsburgh's three-day mandatory minicamp is scheduled to run from June 10-12. Of course, those workouts are only mandatory for players who are officially under contract. 

"I would think in the next two weeks, it's logical to deduce that we'd have to hear something from Aaron Rodgers about coming back," Schefter said about the 41-year-old during Tuesday's edition of the ESPN "Unsportsmanlike" show, per Josh Carney of Steelers Depot. Schefter added that "everybody thinks" Rodgers "will decide to play" for the Steelers in 2025. 

Also on Tuesday morning, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio essentially scoffed at the idea that the Steelers could give Rodgers any kind of strong deadline to make a decision before training-camp workouts get underway in July. 

"The Steelers are stuck," Florio wrote. "They’ve made their deal. They’ve surrendered the power to Rodgers. And they’ve done it happily, because they know he’ll be far better than any quarterback they’d have since Ben Roethlisberger retired (in January 2022)."

The fact that there's no indication that the Steelers have actively pursued a trade for Kirk Cousins of the Atlanta Falcons seems to show Pittsburgh is confident Rodgers won't leave the AFC North side at the altar. Perhaps those who have said Rodgers simply wants to skip mandatory minicamp for the second straight offseason will be proven right in June.