As the Pittsburgh Steelers continue searching for clarity at their quarterback position, the team may not have to wait much longer for Aaron Rodgers to make up his mind. The door has been kept open for the veteran quarterback to reunite with his former Green Bay Packers head coach, Mike McCarthy, in Pittsburgh. At the same time, Rodgers has also kept the Steelers waiting over his NFL plans. But now, as per the latest report, Steelers owner Art Rooney II expects the waiting game with Rodgers to be over before the 2026 NFL Draft.

“I still expect that,” Rooney told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s Gerry Dulac at the recent annual NFL meeting. “I expect we’ll get an answer before the draft. When I talked to him, and Omar [Khan] talked to him, he told us he wasn’t going to take as long this year as he did last year [to make a decision]. “I’m not 100 percent sure what that means, but I expect something before the draft.”

After former Steelers HC Mike Tomlin’s departure, Aaron Rodgers now has an opportunity to play under McCarthy, with whom he won two MVP awards and a Super Bowl title in Green Bay. While playing for nearly 13 seasons under McCarthy, Rodgers also threw for 42,615 yards, 337 touchdowns, and 79 interceptions. With the idea of replicating that success in Pittsburgh, it was expected that McCarthy’s presence could convince Rodgers to return for another season.

But Art Rooney just admitted that the Steelers are still unsure about Aaron Rodgers’ plans, even though the team expects clarity on them soon. The 2026 NFL Draft begins in Pittsburgh on April 23, but even then, Rodgers’ decision might not become public immediately. Something similar happened last year when Rodgers officially signed with the Steelers on June 6. 

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The reports had later revealed that the Steelers already felt confident that Rodgers would join well before that date. This time around, however, the stakes feel even higher for Rodgers as he enters free agency after completing a one-year, $13.65 million deal with Pittsburgh. Now, the 42-year-old has to decide whether he can still play in the NFL for another year as one of the oldest QBs in the league.

However, there is a reason why Aaron Rodgers should not think about his retirement yet because he demonstrated last season that he can still sling. Rodgers produced 3,322 yards, 24 TDs, and seven INTs in the 2025 season as he helped the Steelers achieve a 10-7 record and the AFC North title. But the season turned out to be another failure of Rodgers in the Super Bowl.

In their Wild Card Round game, the Steelers suffered a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans, and Rodgers struggled to finish that game with just 146 yards and one interception while taking four sacks. Still, after wrapping up the past season, Rodgers suggested that he felt more refreshed than he did in previous years. That comment hinted that Rodgers might lean toward playing again, but nothing is guaranteed.

Meanwhile, Art Rooney’s team hasn’t made any major moves at their quarterback position this offseason, as they currently have just Will Howard and Mason Rudolph on their roster. If Rodgers walks away, the Steelers could explore the 2026 NFL Draft, where QB prospects such as Ty Simpson might interest them. But the draft may not be their only path, as the Steelers have also been linked to veteran QB Kirk Cousins.

Will Aaron Rodgers’ decision influence the Steelers to acquire Cousins?

While Art Rooney’s expectation of a pre-draft answer from Aaron Rodgers is encouraging, it also highlights a missed opportunity for the Steelers earlier in free agency. The Steelers waited for Rodgers, and that strategy limited their ability to pursue other quarterbacks on the market. But recently, NFL insider Tom Pelissero suggested that Kirk Cousins could still emerge as a legitimate option for the team if Rodgers decides not to return to Pittsburgh.

“Kirk Cousins is the one, and I know they called on him last year, and the Falcons at the time didn’t want to trade him,” Pelissero revealed recently on the Rich Eisen Show. “But now Kirk Cousins is free. Cousins potentially could be an option if they pivot away from Aaron Rodgers, which hasn’t happened yet.”

Kirk Cousins became available as a free agent earlier this month when the Atlanta Falcons released him after a brief two-year stint with the team. Back in 2024, the Falcons signed Cousins to a massive $180 million contract, and he was expected to become a starter for the team. But that same year, the Falcons blindsided him by drafting QB Michael Penix Jr. 

Cousins eventually lost the starting job in 2024, leaving him searching for another opportunity and being involved in many trade rumors. But last season, in Week 11, while Penix got injured, Cousins stepped back into the starting role for the final stretch of the season. Then, in ten games, Cousins recorded 1,721 yards, 10 TDs, and five INTs while leading the Falcons to a four-game winning streak. 

But even as Cousins finished the 2025 season with a 5-3 record as a starter, the Falcons decided to move on from him. As a result, the 37-year-old has now become available in free agency as one of the top QBs besides Aaron Rodgers. Cousins has accumulated 44,700, 298 TDs, and 131 INTs since joining the NFL in 2012 to establish himself as one of the more stable veteran signal-callers in the NFL.

Therefore, if Rodgers finally retires or even decides not to go back to Pittsburgh, the Steelers might consider Cousins as a way to get into that veteran base in the QB room. The cousins will be able to offer the stability of the front office of the Steelers as they work on a long-term solution to the QB position.