Another Steelers reporter debunks wacky theory about UFA tender move on Aaron Rodgers

Ever since the Pittsburgh Steelers placed a rarely-used unrestricted free agent tender on quarterback Aaron Rodgers earlier this week, NFL reporter Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has suggested on multiple occasions that the Steelers and head coach Mike McCarthy "are trying to get Rodgers to be the one to choose not to continue the relationship." 

For his latest mailbag published on Thursday, Steelers reporter Brian Batko of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette seemed to address such theories. 

Why Steelers truly want Aaron Rodgers back

"I can’t disagree with anyone who views another Rodgers season as little more than spinning their wheels, much like the final two years with Ben Roethlisberger," Batko wrote. "But this organization badly wants to win a playoff game again for the first time in nearly a decade, and for all his faults, Rodgers almost certainly gives them a better chance to do that than [longtime backup Mason Rudolph, 2025 rookie Will Howard or 2026 third-round draft pick Drew Allar] — long-term quarterback auditions be damned."

Earlier this week, team insider Mark Kaboly of "The Pat McAfee Show" mentioned that "Rodgers is [Pittsburgh's] best option to break a 10-year playoff winless streak, and the Steelers know that ... so does Rodgers." It has subsequently been said that Rodgers "didn't care" that the Steelers used the tender that ensures they will receive a compensatory draft pick if the future Hall of Famer signs with a different team before July 22 or the first day of Pittsburgh's training camp, whichever comes later.

There's no indication any other club has shown a serious interest in Rodgers since he became a free agent in March. 

Why drafting Drew Allar doesn't change Steelers' desire to start Aaron Rodgers

Some understandably have wondered if the Steelers spending the 76th overall pick of this year's draft on Allar means anything regarding Rodgers' relationship with the club. 

"The Allar selection doesn’t change my thinking much one way or the other, considering I went into the draft fully expecting the Steelers to take a quarterback," Batko said. "They did so a little higher than I anticipated, but that doesn’t change the amount of development needed for Allar."

The Steelers seemingly expect to have Rodgers re-signed for when the organized team practice activity portion of the club's offseason program begins on May 18. If he isn't at the team facility on that Monday, whispers about whether or not he is wanted by McCarthy and Co. may grow louder.