The Pittsburgh Steelers are, arguably, the only NFL team that has no clue who will be under center when the 2026 regular season begins. All signs have initially pointed to the return of Aaron Rodgers; however, he is taking his time for the second year in a row. He has been known to dislike optional offseason activities, so there's a chance he is simply waiting for mandatory minicamp to put pen to paper. He did this back in 2025, but something feels a bit different currently, specifically because the organization drafted another quarterback and has a new coaching staff.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers takes a knee and looks off into the distance as the team gets ready to participate during a 2025 training camp practice in Latrobe, PA.
Pittsburgh's brass has been caught several times explaining the deadline for the future Hall of Famer, but it continues to get pushed back. It has made it seem like Art Rooney II truly has no clue about what is going on in the mind of the signal-caller. Now, a new report suggests that the two sides may not be on the same page after all.
Gerry Dulac is very close with the franchise and has consistently been under the impression that Rodgers would be coming back for a second season in the Steel City. On Monday morning, the beat writer reported that suddenly the Steelers might start to get pretty upset with the four-time MVP if he continues to delay his commitment, or lack thereof.
"The Steelers have displayed saint-like patience waiting for Aaron Rodgers to say he is coming back for the 2026 season, even though a large portion of their fan base doesn’t agree with their approach," Dulac wrote. "But that patience could be starting to wear thin."
The deadlines were public messages to Rodgers, as one was supposed to be roughly a month after the season ended, another around free agency, and then a third prior to the NFL Draft. It is early May and there has been no contract signed. The only movement was the team placing a rare unrestricted free agent tag on the quarterback.
"After watching two of their 'expected' deadlines come and go — and insisting this isn’t the same situation as last year — the Steelers might not be so understanding if this drags on for two more weeks," Dulac noted.
Pittsburgh has two young signal-callers in Will Howard and Drew Allar that will be ready to take advantage of practice reps, but it feels as if the Steelers want the presumed starter in Rodgers there from the very beginning.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterback Will Howard gets ready to unleash a pass as he runs through a drill as the team works out during the annual Friday Night Lights practice in Latrobe, PA.
The situation seems to be getting a bit dicey. The Steelers may intentionally have given some information to Dulac so that Rodgers would get a hidden message about the current expectations. The storyline is clogging up Pittsburgh's other newsworthy situations, such as the recent selections of 10 rookies. Rodgers is very close to maddening the brass in the Steel City, according to Dulac.
"If Rodgers hasn’t given them a decision by the start of Organized Team Activities on May 18 — their latest, uh, deadline — their patience will start to turn into frustration, and maybe something more," Dulac wrote.
Now that the tag has been placed on Rodgers, he is guaranteed a bump in pay. However, he could still sign with another team prior to training camp beginning. There are a lot of moving pieces, but it appears as if it is starting to get relatively messy.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
Steelers Might Be Better Off Not Signing Rodgers
Pittsburgh has been very clear about not wanting to tank in any way. It's hard to label the team as a Super Bowl contender, even if Rodgers is starting at quarterback. One full season to evaluate Howard and Allar could lead to one of them being the guy for the future, or put the Steelers in a good spot for the draft in 2027. This could all end with a signature from Rodgers, but right now it is starting to cause some frustration internally.
#SteelerNation