The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback situation remains a game of waiting and wondering, with Aaron Rodgers at the center of the uncertainty. Despite the Jets quarterback turning 42 in December and coming off a season-ending injury, rumors persist that Rodgers could be the answer to Pittsburgh’s search for stability. But as time ticks down to the start of training camp, there’s still no resolution, no firm timeline from Rodgers, and a steady calm from the Steelers.
Since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement following the 2021 season, the Steelers have found themselves stuck in quarterback limbo. However, their current situation goes beyond simply having a serviceable, yet uninspiring, starter. It feels like the Steelers are gearing up for a season where their quarterback may not even end up being on the roster at all. “You’d like to have settled circumstances. But, you know, deadlines don’t often bring that to a head,” Mike Tomlin said a month back.
It wasn’t a surprise when early speculations, which now seem fairly certain, linked them to Rodgers, who is looking for a new home to finally hang up his cleats. But he’s taking his sweet time. The four-time MVP is currently focusing on his personal life and is out of the public eye. But, NFL analysts and reports have not stopped speculating on the deadline for Rodgers to join the Steelers.
That’s where ESPN’s Adam Schefter comes in. Schefter believes that the Steelers are “at the mercy” of Rodgers and would wait until week 1 to sign him. “[The Q&A session] told me that it certainly seems like he’s coming back to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers, who by the way, continue to just wait and wait and wait,” he said on ESPN radio.
Adam Schefter on Aaron Rodgers: “I would say the Steelers are willing to wait until September 7th.”
That’s the date of the Steelers week 1 game vs NYJ.
— Andrew Fillipponi (@ThePoniExpress) May 27, 2025
He went on and said, “It’s amazing that a proud organization would be at the mercy of a player like this and just waiting for an answer from him.” See, the Steelers have started their OTAs this week and are all set to kick off their mandatory mini-camp next month. And if the last season has taught us anything about Rodgers, then it’s likely that the veteran quarterback is going to miss out on the camp this year as well.
And Schefter believes that the Steelers are willing to wait until week 1 of the 2025 season. “Their first game is not until Sept. 7 when they play the New York Jets,” he said. “So I would say they’re willing to wait until Sept. 7 (for Rodgers).” Rodgers is focusing on his personal life, and there’s a chance he might consider retirement by September. But the Steelers seem content to give him space.
Long story short: the calendar is shifting to June, and there’s still no official confirmation on the Rodgers-Steelers saga. Only speculations. The latest one is that he will sign by September 7. But get this, frustration is brewing in the Steel City. And Terry Bradshaw has already given his verdict on the Steelers’ interest in Aaron Rodgers.
Terry Bradshaw criticized the Steelers’ interest in Aaron Rodgers
Terry Bradshaw knows a thing or two about his former organization. The Steelers legend has spent his entire 14-season-long career in the Steel City. But things were different back then—now it has turned completely upside down. Instead of looking for a franchise quarterback, the Steelers are in pursuit of a 41-year-old QB, that too for just one year. And Bradshaw isn’t on board with their interest in him.
During his appearance on Buzz’s Morning Mayhem, he straight-up called the Steelers’ interest in Rodgers… well, “A Joke.” Brutal. “That to me is just a joke. What are you going to do? Bring him in for one year, are you kidding me? That guy needs to stay in California. Go somewhere and chew on bark and whisper to the gods out there.” Noted.
But he hasn’t stopped there. He took a jab at the organization for running Kenny Pickett’s chances of being their franchise QB. The Steelers drafted Pickett back in the 2022 NFL draft. Bradshaw liked Pickett but believes that the Steelers failed him. According to Bradshaw, Pittsburgh didn’t give him a top-tier O-line and real weapons. The result? They used him for a couple of seasons and shipped him out. Ridiculous.
And in Bradshaw’s eyes, Pickett wasn’t a failure. Nope. The Steelers were. “He (Pickett) wasn’t a failure, the Steelers were a failure,” Bradshaw ranted. The Steelers’ quarterback conundrum is well-documented. They haven’t found a top-tier QB after Big Ben’s retirement. And if they did, they didn’t utilise him. Now, they’re behind Aaron Rodgers. Yeah, just for a year.
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