Some footballs don’t belong in display cases. They belong in conversations, the kind that start with, “You remember this?” Jamel Dean has been waiting five years for that conversation. And now, the man who threw that ball and the one who intercepted are in the same building. Almost!

“I am looking forward to him signing back ‘cause I have that same football. I’m needing him to sign it,” Dean said. “So, I’ve been waiting like five years just to be able to ask him like, ‘hey, you remember this ball, pick-six right?’ I’ve been meaning for you to sign this ball for so many years and I think this is a good time to do it now.”

In Week 6 of the 2020 NFL season, then-Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Dean picked off Aaron Rodgers in the second quarter and returned it for a score. That was Rodgers’ third career pick-six, and Dean held onto that ball ever since.

Fast-forward to March 2026, and Dean has signed a three-year, $36.75 million deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, making him a new potential teammate for Rodgers. And he showed up in Steel City with the request already prepared.

What’s more, it’s not the first time someone has made a personal keepsake request of Rodgers since he arrived in Pittsburgh. Last October, ahead of Pittsburgh’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers’ former mentee Jordan Love publicly floated a jersey swap. The two even shared a postgame conversation, but the exchange didn’t happen on the spot.

“Just said good game, keep going for the rest of the season,” Love said at the time. “Want him to stay healthy. I got a lot of love for him. It was very fun to go against him and told him that I needed that jersey. We’re gonna exchange those at a later time.”

After the Steelers lost, 35-25, Rodgers followed through on that promise as both Love and Rodgers sent their jerseys to each other’s locker rooms.

Now Jamel Dean is banking on similar goodwill, except his request involves five years of patience and a game ball, not just a jersey. But for any of it to happen, Rodgers first has to come back to Steel City.

Is Aaron Rodgers returning to Pittsburgh in 2026?

For all the uncertainty around Rodgers, beat reporter Ray Fittipaldo has suggested that the Steelers may already have quiet assurances behind closed doors.

“I would not be surprised at all if the Steelers had a pretty good, just like behind closed doors, like a tight little circle between Aaron and Mike [McCarthy], maybe Aaron and Omar [Khan] that, everything is going to work out,” Fittipaldo told 93.7 The Fan. “I just cannot imagine guys that the Steelers would go into free agency and not even really consider a quarterback. I think they know what’s going to happen. Aaron’s going to come back, maybe next week, maybe next month.”

This does fit the bill for last year’s blueprint. Former head coach Mike Tomlin appeared confident in his talks with A-Rod all offseason and fielded media questions accordingly. While general manager Omar Khan has already made it clear this time, they will reach a decision sooner than last season. But so far, it feels like the same timeline.

What’s more, while Khan professed patience, Rodgers himself made it clear that no active contract discussions have taken place between him and the front office.

“I’ve talked to Mike, I’ve talked to Omar. There’s been no deadline that’s been put in front of me,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show recently. “There’s no contract offer or anything. 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 are conversations to be had down the line. But right now … there haven’t been any progressive conversations.”

At first, NFL insiders had predicted A-Rod would show up in Steel City before the new league year began on March 11. Now, Ian Rapoport expects Rodgers to inform the Steelers about his decision before the 2026 NFL Draft. So a late-March or an early-April arrival could still be in the cards.

Jamel Dean’s ball is waiting for one signature. Whether Aaron Rodgers returns to deliver it, and anchor Pittsburgh’s offense for another season, may hinge on a deadline only he controls. 

The game ball is literally in Dean’s possession, but the decision, just like last season, is entirely in Rodgers’ hands.