Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Date is Here

The Pittsburgh Steelers don't know when Aaron Rodgers is going to give them an answer, and they haven't said at any point that they have given him a deadline for that answer. But they have said on multiple occasions that they expect him by a certain NFL milestone, and that milestone is here.

Team President Art Rooney II, general manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike McCarthy have all said that they anticipate an answer from Rodgers before the 2026 NFL Draft. They remain in contact with him, with McCarthy and Rodgers speaking regularly and having positive conversations about a possible return.

"I’m confident,” McCarthy told Steelers On SI during the NFL League Meetings. "But at the end of the day, it’s a personal decision. I think we’re in a good space."

So far, there has been no answer, and the Steelers haven't changed their answers about Rodgers. The NFL Draft is here, though. Draft week is upon us, and Pittsburgh's roster is returning to the city to begin voluntary minicamp from the 20th through the 22nd.

So, What's Happening?

Truthfully, no one really knows.

“It’s obviously more than that,” McCarthy also said at the League Meetings. "The personal part of it will always be the same. You know football guys, they talk about the past a lot. We talked about plays in 2010. We talked about throws he made in Seattle. We’re talking a lot of football, his experience in Pittsburgh. So, we talk a lot about football and talk about where he’s at in his life, and that’s why we’re here talking about it."

Rodgers is appearantly still contemplating returning to the game for another season or retiring, but it sure feels like it's taking longer than anticipated to get an answer. No one knows if he's hinted at the NFL Draft as his personal deadline, but with Khan, McCarthy and Rooney II all saying it over the last month, it's hard to believe Rodgers hasn't said anything about it.

The backup plan remains Will Howard, who would compete with Mason Rudolph and an incoming rookie for the starting job if Rodgers doesn't sign. To start voluntary minicamp, it'll probably be a lot of Howard working with the first-team.

It doesn't feel like Rodgers isn't going to be in Pittsburgh this season, though. It's Aaron Rodgers, so you truly never know, but the confidence level in McCarthy and the constant conversations between the two sure make it seem like things are pointed in the right direction.

Rodgers has three days before the first date the Steelers have tossed out as their expectation, and "before the NFL Draft" is ticking away very quickly.