The Pittsburgh Steelers continue to wait for Aaron Rodgers to make a decision on whether he will play a 22nd NFL season. Not even the team’s biggest offseason acquisition knows who will be throwing him the ball.
Pittsburgh traded for Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. at the start of the new league year and signed the veteran pass catcher to a three-year, $59 million deal. Pittman answers the WR2 questions that have plagued the franchise for years, pairing him with Pro Bowl receiver DK Metcalf.
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Pittman is excited to be in Pittsburgh, but hasn’t talked to Rodgers to pick his brain on a potential partnership.
“I haven’t talked to Aaron,” Pittman told Kay Adams on Up & Adams Monday. “I’m trying to give him space. He likes his space, he likes to get refreshed. I didn’t want to just get signed and blow him up and be like ‘hey Aaron, so what’s the deal?’”
The six-year NFL veteran caught 80 passes for 784 yards and a career-high seven touchdowns last season. Pittman reiterated what Rodgers told The Pat McAfee Show this month about having things to sort out in his life before focusing on football again.
“Just give him time,” Pittman said. “Him and his wife have to handle some things and he will decide if he wants to come back or not…”
Despite speculation and another waiting game replicating what the Steelers experienced last year, Pittman thinks Rodgers isn’t ready to hang up the cleats
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“I think he still wants to play,” Pittman said. “Just knowing Aaron prior to this, I think that he’s going to try and play as long as he can. He’s a beast.”
Rodgers was spotted with Will Howard at the Rx3 Foundation Charity Flag Football event on Saturday. Rodgers is a co-founder of Rx3, giving back to a number of charities and has raised over $8.7 million.
Pittman told Adams that he was invited to Rodgers’ charity game, but wasn’t able to participate.
He thinks the Steelers will give Rodgers as much time as he needs. He believes Howard and Mason Rudolph are “great guys” and the Steelers have “great plans” for whether Rodgers returns to Pittsburgh or not.
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Pittman said he and Rodgers have worked out in Thousand Oaks California in the past, but hasn’t seen Rodgers this offseason.
The clock continues to tick as Monday officially marks one month before the NFL Draft begins on the North Shore from April 23-25.
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