Steelers Now Entering "Critical Stretch" For Aaron Rodgers With Deadline Looming

The Pittsburgh Steelers keep getting toyed with by Aaron Rodgers nonstop. Does he want to play in Pittsburgh or no? One would think that that question would have been answered after numerous top executives skipped the Michigan Wolverines' Pro Day so they could speak with the veteran for six hours. The players are just as frustrated by the never-ending saga as the fans are, and in the end, they just have to sit and wait until either he makes a decision, or the team finally tells him that enough is enough. 

While hosting The Adam Schefter Podcast, insider Adam Schefter once again brought up the Rodgers dilemma, but he talked about how the upcoming week is a big one to see if the 41-year-old signs with Pittsburgh or not. 

"I think we are entering the critical stretch for Aaron Rodgers' final decision about whether or not to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers," said Schefter. "The Pittsburgh Steelers' voluntary offseason workout program begins next week, and if Aaron Rodgers decides that he wants to play in Pittsburgh with new teammates, new receivers, new coaches, and a new offense in a new city, I would think that he would want to be there with boots on the ground from day one of the offseason program so he can be on the field."

At the end of the day, Rodgers is obviously trying to repair his reputation and prove that he is still a quality starting quarterback. Refusing to sign and missing offseason workouts would be a sign that he is not actually interested in playing in Pittsburgh, and that's why there are still all these rumors floating around about him waiting for a better team to call. 

It would only make sense for an incoming free agent to want to get acclimated with his new team as soon as possible, but nobody knows what is truly going on in Rodgers' head. Even though he said he doesn't want to be like his predecessor Brett Favre, there is a realistic chance that he does what Favre did and wait until the middle of training camp to sign a deal. 

This wait-and-see game helps no one. Rodgers has less time to work with his new teammates if he does eventually sign, and the Steelers have all kinds of plans that are being put on hold. They already missed out on a massive Pro Day, and with the Top 30 visits being concluded, it looks like there is no real shot of them drafting Kenneth Grant out of Michigan, partially due to the Rodgers visit. 

Steelers Coaches Are Put In A Bind As Well

Schefter continued on to talk about how hard it is for the coaching staff to do their job as well due to the Rodgers saga.

"Can you imagine what it would be like to be a coach on the Pittsburgh Steelers' staff?" asked Schefter. "When you're trying to basically get your offense ready for the start of your offseason program and you don't know whether that offense is going to include Aaron Rodgers or not, you're going to have to have one offense that's dictated for Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson, the two quarterbacks currently on your roster plus whoever you might draft, and then you're going to have another offense in the event that Aaron Rodgers tells you, 'Yes, I'm going to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers.'"

This is why everyone in the building is getting upset with the whole situation. They have their own decisions to make. Plans and schemes need to be built out for the offense, but Rodgers and Mason Rudolph are two different kinds of quarterbacks. If Rodgers signs much later in the offseason, all the work the coaches did to make Rudolph fit in the offense would be wasted.

If the veteran quarterback won't make a decision soon, Head Coach Mike Tomlin will need to make it for him sooner rather than later so the Steelers can better strategize for the rest of the offseason.

What do you think about the possibility of Rodgers signing before or after the first set of offseason workouts? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.

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