Steelers Potentially Preparing To Have Extremely Strict Boundaries For Aaron Rodgers

The saga between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers continues as the NFL Draft approaches. Since Rodgers met with the Steelers organization back in March, there has been much talk surrounding the two. Rodgers met with Steelers coaches and staff for over six hours in Pittsburgh, but pen was not put to paper. It's unusual for a player to meet with an organization at their facilities for that long and leave the building without an agreement. There are several speculations as to what is happening between Rodgers and the Steelers. Some believe Rodgers is still waiting out for the Minnesota Vikings, or even contemplating retirement.

Another speculation is that Rodgers knows he will sign with the Steelers, but is waiting to announce it on The Pat McAfee Show live in Pittsburgh during the "Big Night Aht." Rodgers made weekly appearances on The Pat McAfee Show during the NFL season, so it is not farfetched to believe he will announce his decision at McAfee's live show. 

Dale Lolley, the host of The Drive on Steelers Nation Radio, believes Rodgers may be contemplating his decision to sign with Pittsburgh based on some boundaries that may have been set.

"In many cases, employees, in which Aaron Rodgers would be, will try to get away with whatever his employer will put up with in terms of 'I don't have to go to mini camp, I have this vacation planned,'" Lolley said. "When Aaron Rodgers goes to the GM and says 'Hey, go get me Allen Lazard, and Randall Cobb, and all these guys' and then they do it. 'Go hire Nathaniel Hackett,' who lasted not even half a season as a head coach in Denver. I just think it sets a bad precedent, so I think some boundaries need to be set up. And that might be why he is not signing. He may be mulling this over, like, 'I may not have the control I had in Green Bay or like I had in New York.'" 

During Rodgers' time with the Green Bay Packers and New York Jets, both organizations made personnel decisions to please him. Mike McCarthy was fired in Green Bay due to what many believe was a stale working relationship between McCarthy and Rodgers. 

When the Packers began to conduct interviews for the vacant coaching position, they interviewed over 10 candidates, but only one of them received a phone call from Rodgers, Matt LaFleur. LaFleur would eventually land the head coaching with the Packers following his phone call with Rodgers. 

Rodgers' influence in Green Bay was understandable because he had accomplished so much while playing for the organization. During his time in Green Bay, Rodgers led the team to a Super Bowl victory and five NFC Championship games. However, when Rodgers decided to leave Green Bay for New York, his influence would carry over. 

During his first seasons with the Jets, Rodgers was able to convince the team to bring over guys from Green Bay that he was comfortable with. Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb, who both played with Rodgers in Green Bay, joined the Jets the same season as Rodgers. 

The Jets also hired Nathaniel Hackett as their offensive coordinator. who had just been fired from his head coaching job with the Denver Broncos. Hackett, before his stint in Denver, was Rodgers' offensive coordinator in Green Bay for three seasons. Many believe Hackett was only hired by Denver as a pawn to acquire Rodgers. 

Steelers Won't Allow Rodgers To Call The Shots

The Steelers' organization has long been praised as an organization that still has tradition. In 92 years, the Steelers have only had 16 head coaches, with three of them combining for 56 of those years. So, this is not an organization that will make changes at the demands of a player, which Rodgers has been used to. Rodgers won't be able to demand the Steelers' front office to trade for Davante Adams midseason like he did in New York. 

Rodgers may be taking his time to decide whether he is willing to submit control to an organization. Well, it may be time he does because the last two destinations did not work out as planned. 

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