As Aaron Rodgers finally spoke Thursday, he left all doors open and all deadlines unwritten. And if we’re taking him at his public word at this point — and NFL teams should probably do exactly that — there’s no definitive track toward continuing his career or retiring.
All we know is some kind of move is coming from Rodgers … later. That means some kind of move needs to come from the Steelers … sooner. As in, next week’s NFL Draft, where the team should backstop itself against whatever direction Rodgers goes and select a quarterback who can be a long-term answer.
Advertisement
“I’m open to anything and attached to nothing,” Rodgers said Thursday on a seemingly impromptu appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
“So yeah, retirement could still be a possibility.”
He later added, “This entire time I haven’t felt like I owed anybody some sort of decision at any point.”
When Rodgers popped into the light again Thursday, it was classic Rodgers on the show — promising football revelations but also remaining vague, grousing about how the media covers him, throwing up his oft-used COVID bat signals to remind everyone he’s somehow a victim, then taking a few parting pokes at the New York Jets organization by reflecting on what he termed a “low road” dismissal from new head coach Aaron Glenn.
It doesn’t sound like Aaron Rodgers had a fond farewell to the Jets this offseason. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)
(Cooper Neill via Getty Images)
That latter point, pulling back the curtain on the Jets, was certainly worth the watch. In one breath, Rodgers alleged that Glenn shared a concern that the veteran quarterback would somehow undermine him or his leadership by getting between the coach and players. In another breath, Rodgers then proceeded to actually undermine Glenn by stating that after the exchange with the head coach, he was later contacted by Jets general manager Darren Mougey, as well as team co-owner Christopher Johnson, in what Rodgers seemed to insinuate was a mea culpa of sorts.
Advertisement
So, yeah. Count Thursday as just another episode of setting it straight for a guy who almost always seems to have something to set straight. Surely, the Steelers can take note, as they’re basically in the same spot the Jets were in two years ago — chasing optimism and waiting to see how it all worked out.
All of that said, Rodgers did offer a reasonable — if not completely opaque — account for why he’s not concentrating on any football career decisions right now. He said he has some personal things going on with people close to him and he’s taking the time he needs to tend to those things. He didn’t offer much more than that, which shouldn’t be a problem. It’s his private life and everyone deserves their time and space to grapple with whatever issues arise in that area. Most especially when they aren’t under contract and not making any promises to anyone.
As Rodgers put it, “I’m in a different phase of my life. I’m 41 years old. I’m in a serious relationship. I have off the field stuff going on that requires my attention. I have personal commitments I made — not knowing what my future was going to look like after last year — that are important to me. And I have a couple people in my inner, inner circle who are really battling some difficult stuff. So I have a lot of things that are taking my attention, and have beginning in really January, away from football. That’s been where I’ve been focusing most of my attention on.”
Rodgers said he told teams this was the case, so everyone is on the same page. He also told them he’s willing to play next season for a $10 million salary, which at least indicates to those same teams that he has a desire to play in 2025. How teams operate with that information is their choice. But this is also where the door swings both ways. At this point, Rodgers has: held a private meeting with the Steelers in Pittsburgh; had a private throwing session with Steelers wideout DK Metcalf in Los Angeles; and has been far enough onto the Steelers’ radar that team owner Art Rooney II felt comfortable suggesting at last month’s NFL owners meetings that Rodgers was “headed in our direction.”
Advertisement
When you start to lay out the connective tissue here — and there is enough of it now — every indication is that Rodgers told the Steelers he would like to sign with them. But it also sounds like Rodgers told them if that’s going to happen, it’s going to take patience as he attends to his personal life for however long that needs to take. Maybe it’s a few more weeks. Maybe it’s when full squad minicamp convenes in June. Or maybe it’s through the summer and onto the doorstep of training camp in Latrobe.
At this stage of the offseason, the Steelers appear to be pot-committed to waiting on Rodgers. Yet it doesn’t preclude them from making a very-necessary side bet with the 21st overall pick in the NFL Draft. More than ever it looks like that is the appropriate move for the franchise, positioning itself wherever it can take a quarterback it believes in — who can then start if Rodgers retires, or sit and learn from him if he eventually signs.
The only wrong move here is passing on drafting a QB and doing absolutely nothing — which would put Pittsburgh into a spot where Rodgers becomes an all-or-nothing wager. Unless trading for Kirk Cousins is the emergency plan — and even that is a dubious assumption — the Steelers could be right back into their worst-case scenario at quarterback, starting Mason Rudolph and hoping for the best.
That can’t be how the front office and coaching staff wants to run this team in 2025. Especially after the previous iteration of that led to swings on Russell Wilson and Justin Fields, neither of whom ultimately worked out. Come Thursday, Pittsburgh has to have the conviction to move forward with a rookie quarterback. And if Rodgers doesn’t like that, he’ll have to eat his own words from Thursday.
.(Yahoo Sports)
“This is my life,” Rodgers said. “Like I said, things are different now. My life is different. My personal life is different. I have stuff in the inner circle that I’m intimately close to that it’s really important to me. And I’ve been up front with [the Steelers] about that, and said, ‘Listen, if you need to move on, if you need to do something, by all means.’ Nothing but love and respect if that’s the decision that needs to be made. But there’s been no deadline.”
Advertisement
Of all the things the Steelers might have heard Thursday, the most valuable snippet might be that one. If they have to move on, they have to move on. There’s no hard feelings, but also no deadline. That’s what Rodgers’ half of this ledger looks like. Wide open, no real football commitment. The other side of the ledger is entirely in Pittsburgh’s control next week.
It’s time for the Steelers to add a quarterback to it. On their terms.
Read the full article here
