Steelers' Art Rooney II Sends Direct Message To Aaron Rodgers As Veteran Continues To Take His Time

It has turned into a matter of when, not if, Aaron Rodgers will commit to playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2026. After one year with the organization, it appeared as if the relationship would end, but the franchise then hired Mike McCarthy following the resignation of Mike Tomlin. Now, the team is waiting for the four-time MVP to make a decision or whether he wants to keep playing or not. The majority of the roster was improved during free agency; however, the most important position in the sport has some questions with the front office preparing for the 2026 NFL Draft.

It's very possible that there is already a handshake agreement in place between the Steelers and Rodgers. However, nothing has been announced publicly. The decision-makers in Pittsburgh might be just as in the dark as everyone else when it comes to the mysterious Super Bowl champion's plans. The clock is ticking for him to give an answer, though, even though the expectation is that he will sign another one-year contract.

Gerry Dulac is an insider for the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and often gets scoops that come from behind closed doors. On Sunday, he reported that he spoke directly with Team Owner Art Rooney II. It was a very simple published piece, and it got to the point quickly. It almost seemed as if the President of the Steelers was reminding Rodgers that he should decide sooner rather than later.

"“I still expect that,” team owner/president Art Rooney II told the Post-Gazette. “I expect we’ll get an answer before the draft.”"

Dulac continued to write about what the franchise's current expectation is. The 2026 offseason is a little bit different, as Rooney and co. have no worries that there is another potential landing spot for Rodgers.

"Unlike last year, when some teams feigned interest in signing Rodgers, there has not been any speculation about another team wanting to sign the 42-year-old quarterback this year," Dulac wrote. "The Steelers have always believed Rodgers was either going to re-sign with them or retire."

Rooney also told the reporter that both he and General Manager Omar Khan were informed by the signal-caller that the 2026 version of his decision would not linger as long as it did in 2025.

"“When I talked to him and Omar [Khan] talked to him, he told us he wasn’t going to take as long this year as he did last year [to make a decision],” Rooney said. “I’m not 100% sure what that means, but I expect something before the draft.”"

The veteran didn't put pen to paper until June, which seemed to purposely happen just prior to mandatory minicamp. Rodgers is very careful with his words, but it appears as if the Steelers' brass wants to know before the end of April.

If Rodgers does end up surprising everyone and walking away from the game, Pittsburgh would at least be able to potentially draft a signal-caller earlier than expected. If he drags out the decision and the Steelers avoid selecting a quarterback, it could lead to depth issues within the room. Rooney is seemingly using a local reporter to get a subtle but important message to Rodgers.

Steelers Are Tiring Out The Fan Base With Constant Quarterback Drama

Rodgers has always been on his own time and will continue to be. If he has any bit of respect for the organization, his former teammates, and the fans, however, the decision to return to Pittsburgh or not should come in a timely manner. 

Despite this, he is still enjoying his offseason without too much public discussion. He did appear on the Pat McAfee Show, but implied that the Steelers hadn't even given him an offer yet, while the franchise is likely waiting for confirmation of another season prior to putting numbers in front of the future Hall of Famer.

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