It’s only a matter of days before the city of Pittsburgh welcomes NFL fans as it hosts the draft. But for Steelers fans, there is still a giant question mark at quarterback as the team awaits a decision from Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers, 42, has yet to officially make a decision on his retirement after last season ended in defeat in the AFC Wild Card round.
Over three months on from that loss and Rodgers is no closer to making a decision on his future.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Steelers ‘have not received word from Aaron Rodgers on his future and there is no expectation of a final decision prior to the NFL Draft.’
Per Rapoport, the Steelers’ plan for minicamp, which begins Monday, will be to have Will Howard taking the reps as QB1 on the depth chart of new head coach Mike McCarthy.
Regardless of Rodgers’ decision, it’s widely expected that the Steelers select University of Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson with the 21st overall pick in the draft.
The Pittsburgh Steelers have still not heard from Aaron Rodgers about his future plans
Rodgers, 42, hasn’t officially retired yet and has left the door open to returning to Pittsburgh
If he does so, he’d be re-united with his former Packers coach Mike McCarthy
Many believed that this previous season would be Rodgers’ last in the NFL, only for the star to throw speculation about his future into the air.
Back in March, before the start of free agency, Rodgers revealed there was no deadline for him to decide his future and indicated that he was in no rush to do so.
‘Free agency starts in a week,’ Rodgers told friend Pat McAfee about his current situation. ‘I’ve talked to Mike, I’ve talked to [Steelers general manager] Omar [Khan]. There’s been no deadline that’s been put in front of me.
‘There’s no contract offer or anything,’ he continued. ‘So there’s nothing I’m having to debate between. I’m a free agent. Again, I’m enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the offseason. I think there’s conversations to be had down the line.’
In that same appearance on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers praised McCarthy from their previous tenure together in Green Bay.
‘I’m really happy for [McCarthy],’ Rodgers said. ‘We’ve had good conversations.
‘He’s one of the great guys in the league… Deep down there’s so much love and appreciation for the time we spent together.’