Former NFL executive sounds alarm about potential Aaron Rodgers, Steelers marriage

As of Wednesday, there is no indication that free-agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers is planning to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers ahead of their three-day mandatory minicamp from June 10-12.

During Wednesday's edition of the ESPN "Get Up" program, former NFL player, executive and current analyst Louis Riddick sounded alarms about the Steelers possibly not having Rodgers on the roster before training camp begins in late July. 

"With every organized [team] activity that he misses, that is one less chance for him to kind of ingratiate himself to the rest of the locker room, learn the offense, really kind of develop chemistry, all the kind of things that I think sometimes maybe people get tired of talking about, because it's an intangible thing that you can't really quantify," Riddick said about the Rodgers-Steelers situation, per Josh Carney of Steelers Depot. "But you sure can quantify when the season starts and all of a sudden, wide receiver and quarterback aren't on the same page. They're arguing on the sideline. Relationships start to fracture. ...You're making the likelihood of that happening increase exponentially every single day that he's not there."

Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger, former Steelers safety Mike Logan and former Tennessee Titans general manager Ran Carthon are among those who previously said Rodgers should want to make a serious commitment to Pittsburgh before players go on their summer break if he truly plans to be the club's QB1 later this year. That said, the Steelers seemingly are willing to wait until further notice to hear from the enigmatic 41-year-old regarding his intentions for the 2025 season. 

Back in February, Riddick was a fan of the Steelers replacing Russell Wilson and Justin Fields by acquiring Rodgers. Riddick is no longer sold on the idea, as Rodgers has remained unsigned through the final days of voluntary spring workouts. 

"And really at this point," Riddick continued during the segment, "I don't even know if it even makes sense anymore. I don't know if it'll give them the return that I said early in February [that] he is the kind of guy that they actually need. 'He needs Pittsburgh. Pittsburgh needs him.' It made sense back then. I don't know if now they'll get their return on investment."

Whispers about the Steelers possibly calling the Atlanta Falcons about a trade for veteran Kirk Cousins grew louder in late May. Perhaps such chatter suggests Pittsburgh shares Riddick's concerns about what Rodgers would or wouldn't be as a player and as a locker-room leader if he doesn't join the club until the summer.