Steelers Knew About Aaron Rodgers Deal Earlier Than Expected

The Pittsburgh Steelers officially have signed former New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

He will attempt to lead the team after the losses of both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields this offseason. Fields obviously joined the Jets and Wilson moved on to the New York Giants.

Rodgers will face off against his old team in Week 1 at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 7. After months of rumors and speculation about what Rodgers would do, it's a fair question to ask when Pittsburgh actually knew a deal would get done.

Sports Illustrated's Albert Breer revealed that Rodgers quietly let the Steelers know he was coming early last week and the contract structure was talked about way back in March.

"The Steelers officially got word early last week that Rodgers was coming in to sign his contract at the end of the week, and kept it quiet as the rest of the players worked through three days of OTAs," Breer said. "The parameters of the deal were actually agreed to in mid-March, and all that was left for GM Omar Khan and David Dunn to work through were some structural elements and back-end details.

"The one-year contract is for $13.85 million, with $10 million guaranteed, and another $5.85 million in incentives. Rodgers arrived Saturday morning to sign it, and from there he and Smith immediately dove in on the playbook, things that the Steelers already built in anticipation of his signing and some historical elements of Smith’s scheme and how it matched up with some of Rodgers’s experiences. That so much of this stayed quiet is, in fact, a testament to the trust that the Steelers and Rodgers built over a short time. And now, on Tuesday, it’ll be unveiled for everyone to see."

Rumors and speculation swirled left and right, but it's now easy to see why Pittsburgh didn't seem concerned.