Rodgers stressed that he is not holding Pittsburgh ‘hostage’
Aaron Rodgers finally addressed his future on Thursday, including where things currently stand between himself and the Pittsburgh Steelers, one of the main teams he’s been linked to over the past month.
Rodgers, during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” said that he has not made a formal decision for the 2025 season and is still possibly considering retirement. He did confirm that he met with the Steelers’ brass recently and said that conversations are still ongoing with Pittsburgh.
“I am trying to be open to everything and not specifically attached to anything when it comes to this decision,” Rodgers said. “I’m not holding anybody hostage. I want to emphasize that. I’ve been up front from the beginning. I don’t mean any disrespect to any player on their team. I’m just going through a lot in my personal life that has take precedent at this point, because that’s a big commitment, and once a commitment is made, it has to be an all-in type of thing.”
Based on what he said, it appears that Rodgers (who during the interview said that he has told teams that money is not a factor in his decision and that he would play for $10 million this season) won’t make a decision until his personal affairs are taken care of. In the meantime, he reiterated that he would continue to keep lines of communication open.
“I don’t think it was fair to the Steelers or anyone to make a decision while I’m dealing with a lot off the field,” Rodgers said. “At the same time, I want to keep the lines of communication open. That’s why I’ve talked to all the important people. The people that need to know know what’s going on, and the people that don’t make up shit about me. And that really hasn’t changed since COVID.”
Regarding his visit to Pittsburgh, Rodgers tried to keep it under wraps by finding an alternative flight option and driving to the Steelers’ facility in a Chevy Malibu. That still didn’t stop reports of Rodgers’ visit from getting out, though.
Rodgers had nothing but good things to say about his meeting with the Steelers that included time with head coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Omar Khan, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth, who was actually a teammate of Rodgers back in 2006.
“Personally, I wanted to see what it was like there,” Rodgers said. “See the facility, get to meet Omar in person, just get a glimpse of what life would be like in Pittsburgh.”
Rodgers said that there’s been no deadline given from the Steelers to make a decision.
“I’ve been up front with them about (my thought process),” Rogers said. “I said, ‘Listen, if you need to move on, by all means, by all means. Nothing but love and respect if that’s a decision that needs to be made.’ There’s been no deadline, and yeah, I’ve talked to Mike T. many times.”
Based on the interview, it appears that the Steelers are still in play to sign Rodgers, but to say that the four-time league MVP coming to Pittsburgh is inevitable doesn’t appear to be accurate at this point.
Rodgers, after all, said that retirement is still an option. He also confirmed that he has spoken with the Vikings, who have also been liked to him as a possible landing spot. Minnesota’s current plan is to move forward with JJ McCarthy as its starting quarterback, although that could certainly change.
One thing we do know is that the Steelers are expected to select a quarterback during the 2025 NFL Draft. If they do, one option could be Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who dined with Pittsburgh’s brass on the night before his pro day.
“I’ll be ready to go,” Milroe told CBS Sports when he was recently asked about possibly being drafted by Pittsburgh. “Like you mentioned, the amount of pieces that they have, a head coach that understands the offensive scheme and is defensive-minded. … Also, his winning experience. He’s always had a winning record.
“That winning edge, winning spirit, the culture as well. There’s definitely a lot of great pieces of being a Steeler. But of course, you know, I can’t choose where I go, but when I did visit with them, they came out impressed, by me as a person, and of course, an athlete and quarterback as well.”
