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Jan 12, 2026; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) warms up before an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images For a second straight offseason, the Steelers appear to be waiting on quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Appearing on NFL Network Wednesday for an interview wrapping the draft in Pittsburgh, Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II was asked for the latest update on the team’s presumptive — yet unsigned — quarterback.
The latest? A Rodgers decision is expected in the next few weeks.
“We’ve been in contact with Aaron on a regular basis,” Rooney said. “He’s been keeping us up to date on his plans, and even though I thought it probably would have been concluded by now, I think we will come to a conclusion here in the next few weeks.”
In late March, Rooney had told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that he expected Rodgers to sign before the draft, which is now nearly a week in the rearview mirror.
And a Wednesday article from The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo reported that “initially, key decision-makers in the Steelers organization believed that Rodgers would sign with the team around free agency … the goalposts are moving again.”
While Steelers brass have continually said the team is in communication with Rodgers, it has become increasingly clear that Pittsburgh isn’t entirely sure what the veteran quarterback is planning for the 2026 season.
However, Rooney did provide some clarification regarding the rare right-of-first-refusal tender Pittsburgh placed on Rodgers Monday.
“The main thing that the tender gives us is the potential for a comp pick if Aaron would choose to go to another team,” Rooney said. “We don’t expect that, but by the same token, you never know. It’s just something that we had the opportunity to protect if needed. The deadline was Monday, so if we were going to do it, we had to pull the trigger on Monday.
“We alerted Aaron and his representative that we were going to do it. Not a real big deal, but something that, in the unlikely event that he goes somewhere else, we are eligible for a comp pick in that situation.”
Next up on the Steelers’ offseason calendar is rookie minicamp from May 8-10, and then OTAs starting May 18. Mandatory minicamp will kick off on June 2.
Last year, Rodgers officially signed with the Steelers on June 7 — after OTAs and just before the start of mandatory minicamp.
