To the surprise of some, Aaron Rodgers did not announce during Wednesday’s event hosted by ESPN personality Pat McAfee at PPG Paints Arena in Pittsburgh that he had signed a contract to become the next starting quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers.
On Thursday, well-known NFL insider Josina Anderson hinted that some within the Steelers may be a bit nervous regarding Rodgers’ intentions for the 2025 season.
“The vibe? I would say it feels a little weird here. The running joke around here right now is, ‘Who’s going to be our quarterback?’ Now, I wouldn’t say there’s any panic, though, but the current QB depth says what it says,” a league source told Anderson about the Steelers.
Currently, the Steelers would start either longtime backup Mason Rudolph or unproven commodity Skylar Thompson at quarterback if they had to play a game this coming weekend. Per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth insisted during a recent podcast appearance that he and others in the locker room “have all the belief in Mason.”
Anderson’s post isn’t the first sign that some Steelers personnel aren’t fully convinced Rodgers is committed to joining the club before mandatory minicamp practices get underway on June 10. In March, Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward made it known his “pitch” to Rodgers would be: “Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t. It’s that simple.” Heyward later attempted to clarify his comments and said that “it would be really cool to have a guy like” Rodgers on the team.
It’s worth noting that Rodgers hasn’t publicly denied the numerous reports that previously claimed he wanted to join the Minnesota Vikings before the Vikings began preparing for 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy to serve as their new QB1. McCarthy spent his rookie season recovering from a full meniscus repair and will be evaluated by the club throughout springtime workouts before he’s officially given the starting job.
Pittsburgh is expected to add to its quarterback room at some point during the upcoming draft regardless of Rodgers’ status, as he turns 42 years old this coming December and may have only one season of football left in the tank. If he remains unsigned through April 24, the Steelers could respond by pursuing an advertised 2025 Week 1 starter during the draft’s first round.
