The Steelers placed the UFA tender worth $15 million on Aaron Rodgers last week. The first week of May has already slipped away, and the franchise is set to start the OTA offseason workouts from May 18. Oddly enough, the likes of DK Metcalf, Michael Pittman Jr, and Pat Freiemuth are still waiting to find out who will be firing passes at them next season. Amid this situation, the Steelers legend James Harrison recently shared his perspective on the 42-year-old quarterback.

“I think he’d rather retire than take 15 million,” said James Harrison on the Deebo and Joe podcast.

Rodgers played his sole NFL season with the Steelers in 2025 at a salary of $13.6 million. Due to the uncertainty surrounding his future this season, the franchise has put a tender on him. Under the UFA tender, which was placed on April 28, 2026, the ten-time Pro Bowler will get a hike of about 10% from the previous contract. It means that if he commits to playing in the 2026 campaign, his pay will be about $15 million.

Based on the impact he made last season, the amount would feel like an undervaluation, even though he is 42. Playing 16 games as the QB1, Rodgers threw 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns with only 7 interceptions. While he lacked the elite brilliance he displayed before 2021, the organization was certainly delighted with his production, as he led them to the playoffs.

Rodgers, a free agent now, has a deadline of July 22 under the UFA tender. While he is free to sign for another franchise before that, once the date passes, the Steelers will have the exclusive right to keep him for the 2026 season at $15 million.

The iconic quarterback has career earnings of nearly $400 million through his NFL contracts over the past two decades. In the heyday, his most lucrative contracts were with the Green Bay Packers. But even after he left the Packers and joined the New York Jets, his contract was valued at $112.5 million for three years with a guaranteed pay of $75 million alongside the annual salary of $37.5 million.

However, when he signed the Steelers deal, his annual earnings dropped three times. After playing with one of his lowest NFL paychecks last season, agreeing to only 10% raise doesn’t seem to move the needle for him, so he may just hang up his boots after building a perennial legacy in the league. He has nothing more to achieve on the gridiron.

The Steelers are counting on days for a hopeful return of the 42-year-old; however, a recent development has added another layer to his future.

Omar Khan gives a concerning update about Aaron Rodgers’ future

In early April, the Steelers team president Art Rooney II stated that he was expecting a decision from the veteran signal-caller by the 2026 NFL Draft, which didn’t happen. With OTA sessions and mandatory mini-camps lined up in May and June, the franchise needs a quick answer from Rodgers to get a clear idea of the quarterback room next season. Amid this uncertainty, an update came from the Steelers’ general manager, Omar Khan.

“I don’t know where, specifically, Aaron is,” Khan said to Chris Muck on Sirius recently. ” I can tell you that Aaron and I, and coach and Aaron, and Aaron’s representatives have had good conversations since the season ended and since Mike (McCarthy) got hired. It’s been positive, but, yeah, I don’t know where he is at this moment.”

The QB’s last public appearance was in early March, right before hitting the free agency market. The Steelers were reportedly looking to secure his services back then, but he had a contrasting opinion. However, the recent update fails to provide fans with the assurance they have been looking for. Rather, it makes the situation more complicated, even for the Steelers’ front office, who don’t have a clear answer yet.

“There’s been no deadline that’s been put in front of me,” said Aaron Rodgers on the Pat McAfee Show previously. “There’s no contract offer or anything.”

Furthermore, Mike McCarthy previously hinted that he was in touch with him. The franchise, however, added a new quarterback to the roster as a backup plan if Rodgers finally backs out or even retires.

With the addition of Penn State rookie Drew Allar, the QB room consists of Will Howard and Mason Rudolph. Given McCarthy thinks highly of Howard, he could be the leading name as a starter should Rodgers not be in the picture.