The Pittsburgh Steelers' saga with Aaron Rodgers has been going on for too long. The team starts Organized Team Activities (OTAs) soon, and he still has yet to actually accept the offer to play in the Steel City. Nobody but Rodgers truly knows if he will sign a deal and when that may happen. Pittsburgh could just be getting played like a fiddle. At the end of the day, a decision needs to be made on if he wants to wear black and gold in 2025 or not. The more he waits, the more it hurts the whole team.
AP Photo / Frank Franklin II
Former New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers nods to acknowledge someone speaking in his direction.
NFL analyst and former player Ross Tucker feels the same way. While making an appearance on The Dan Patrick Show, he called out Rodgers for his unwillingness to help out the Steelers while focusing more on dodging criticism.
"[Aaron Rodgers] doesn't want to take crap from people like me for not being at the offseason program," Tucker said. "He doesn't want to go to Pittsburgh in May. He does not want to do OTAs. He does not want to do minicamp. He's going to wait as long as he can, so he doesn't get criticism for that."
Head Coach Mike Tomlin previously gave a soft deadline of training camp as to when he needs to have a basic idea of the quarterback situation for the 2025 season. It seems like Rodgers is more than comfortable with waiting until then. He avoided offseason programs in 2024 with the New York Jets, so it should not be surprising to anyone that he does the same thing in 2025.
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Four time league MVP Aaron Rodgers during a psychedelic session featured in his Netflix documentary.
Tucker does not like Rodgers' alleged attempts of dodging criticism, so he rips into him for skipping OTAs.
"I got news for you, Aaron, I'm going to criticize you anyway," Tucker said. "If you know you're going to the Steelers, and you're with a new team, a new offense with Arthur Smith, all those other guys are out there with phase two of the offseason program right now. Don't tell me you're committed. Don't tell me you want to win games this year. Don't tell me it's a priority if you're not there working with your new teammates in your new offense."
If Rodgers comes in late in the offseason to be the starting quarterback, the coaches will have to scrap the scheme that they were making to build around Mason Rudolph. They may have somewhat similar play styles, but they are still different enough to where the staff can't just build one game plan up that could fit with either option. There would be plenty of notable changes behind the scenes in this case.
AP Photo / Adam Hunger
Former New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers puts both his arms in the air to celebrate a big time touchdown at home during the 2024 NFL season.
In fact, Rodgers is known for wanting a little bit of control. He may be the one instructing the offensive coaches on what to do, and Tomlin may just sit back and allow that to happen. If that is true, then it makes even more sense for the former MVP to hurry up and sign his contract. Even if he skips OTAs, he could still be in constant contact with the staff on what he wants for an offense, as opposed to letting them waste their time building around Rudolph.
Steelers Have To Put Their Foot Down Eventually
At a certain point time, enough is enough. Pittsburgh can't keep getting toyed with by a quarterback and expect to have a respectable season with or without him. Tomlin may not be a fan of deadlines, but he needs to make one and soon. If he does not make his choice within a certain period of time, likely around OTAs, then Pittsburgh should make the decision for him and move on so it can focus on the rest of the team.
What do you think about Tucker going off on Rodgers for his refusal to sign in May? Let us know in the comments or on X at @Steelers_ChrisB.
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