The Pittsburgh Steelers are continuing to frustrate fans with this whole Aaron Rodgers saga. He will likely sign eventually, but until then, the endless speculation around him is just that: speculation. Even the team itself has speculated on when he could return, and that has been very wrong. At the end of the day, he is going to take his sweet time and make a decision whenever he feels like it. It could be tomorrow; it could be mandatory minicamp; it could even be on Day 0 of training camp. Everything operates on his time.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers' quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks into the distance with intense focus as he stands in street clothes while the team works out during a 2025 training camp practice at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, PA.
While making a recent appearance on NFL Live, Brooke Pryor repeated a previous report on Rodgers possibly being upset at the team itself, but she gave a good reason as to why this would be the case.
"It very well could have agitated him that he had this tender placed on him because he feels like, 'Hey, I gave you guys my word that you'll know when you'll know and to trust me,' and this kind of action says, 'I don't know that we trust you 100%,'" Pryor said.
The Steelers placed the rarely used UFA tag (unrestricted free agent) on Rodgers just in case he decides to not return. Even with the strong likelihood that he does re-sign, this move says that the team is not entirely sure that he will be in Pittsburgh by training camp. It was a very confusing decision when it was first announced, but it did answer a couple of questions while raising a few more as well.
Jordan Schofield / SteelerNation (X: @JSKO_PHOTO)
Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Rodgers himself can be a confusing man, but one thing that is known about him is he gets frustrated and agitated easily. It could be true that he is not happy about the fact that the Steelers don't entirely believe what he told them behind closed doors and on all these phone calls that they constantly have. If that is truly the case, this whole situation just gets a lot murkier for everyone involved, including the fans.
That may not be the case though, as Owner and Team President Art Rooney II said that this was communicated to Rodgers beforehand. The Steelers did let him know that they were going to place this tag on him. With how much control the quarterback seems to have, there is a good chance that the UFA tag would not have been utilized here if he did not give them the "okay" to do so.
Steelers' Key Dates For A Possible Rodgers Decision
The first day that is circled on the calendar is May 18th, which is when Organized Team Activities (OTAs) begin. That way, he can come in and get to work with his new teammates quickly. Even if he does not want to participate, he could stand on the sideline during this time frame and mentor the young quarterbacks, as well as anyone else who is willing to pick his brain and learn some new information.
Sebastian Foltz / Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Steelers QBs Will Howard (left) and Aaron Rodgers (right) at mandatory minicamp.
However, he skipped OTAs in 2025 before signing, and that could happen again. The next date would be June 2nd, which is when mandatory minicamp begins. That phase of the offseason is when Rodgers signed with the Steelers last time, so it's fair to expect him to come back then. All of the veterans will be back for a few days to get to work, so the 42-year-old might return with them.
This year, however, the Steelers put mandatory minicamp in between OTAs, and that could make Rodgers skip out on offseason training altogether. If that happens, then the day or two before training camp begins will be the last day to circle. That is arguably the most important part of the season, as that's when familiarity and chemistry is developed. If he's not back by then, consider him gone.
What do you think about Rodgers possibly being agitated at the Steelers? Let us know on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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