Aaron Rodgers once said, “There’s ebbs and flows in the year. There’s not a lot of patience in this league.” At the time, this was him talking about his friend Kirk Cousins, but one has to wonder if he was also talking about himself. The league, analysts, reporters, the whole gang has been speculating what this guy’s decision will be. Being a four-time NFL MVP certainly comes with its perks. Just look at how long the Pittsburgh Steelers have waited around for an answer from the guy. But how much longer could this stalemate continue? According to veterans, it can’t be long anymore.

HC Mike Tomlin is someone who likes to keep tabs on his recruiting prospects. He does this so that when the time comes, he can make a swift move to bolster his roster. But when it comes to the elusive A-Rod, Tomlin has taken a different approach altogether. It’s more a game of chess where we’re just waiting for Rodgers’ move. The draft came and went by, and Tomlin’s move was clear. He added depth to every single position that needed it. But he waited till the 6th round to get rookie QB Will Howard and still left a spot open in his 4-QB vision. But many veterans now believe that enough time has gone by, and they are gunning for a decision that Tomlin clearly isn’t making yet. 

When talking about A-Rod’s signing, Mike Tomlin said, “That’s certainly a possibility—I’m not going to forecast the ifs and whens—I’ve enjoyed having productive talks with him.” While he’s still leaving it up in the air, veterans like Matt Hasselbeck don’t think he should. According to Hasselbeck, there are 3 phases for a veteran quarterback. “Phase 1 feels like a waste of your time—there’s no football there. Phase 2, again, you’re throwing to guys on air, not that important. Phase 3 I think is really important. So for the Pittsburgh Steelers—May 27th is the start of phase 3.” Context? May 27th is the first day of the OTAs, when the true training with the team will begin. If Aaron Rodgers wants a chance at leading a team again, according to Hasselbeck, that should be the deadline. 

Matt Hasselbeck further doubled down and said, “I would circle that May 27th date as a date that, like, it would really be detrimental to be starting the missing time at that point.” Let’s face it, it has been months now since A-Rod was let go by the Jets and the Steelers were floated as the perfect fit for him. And while Mike Tomlin is having “productive talks” with him, there are no visible results?

During the drafts, Steelers’ owner Art Rooney II had said, “I do think we may get word soon obviously with things starting to crank up here with the offseason program etc. If he’s coming, [we] would like to get him here soon for some of that.” As A-Rod doesn’t have a timeline set in stone, the Steelers might want to look at some other options that are out there.

Plan ‘B’ for Aaron Rodgers’ absence?

When it comes to the QB situation of the Steelers, it’s not just Matt Hasselbeck who is speaking up now. Former NFLer Ryan Clark also made his stance known on First Take with Stephen A. Smith. According to Clark, “it’s only so long you can spin your wheels, continue to be a slightly above-average team, and not address the quarterback position—and I do not believe the team especially up front offensively is good enough to protect them.” Well, Ryan Clark is certainly not happy with how the Steelers have been managing the whole QB conundrum.

Meanwhile, the Steelers may not be waiting around. Word around the rumor mill is Kirk Cousins might look like a good fit if Aaron Rodgers doesn’t decide to show up. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, “Well, to me, this would be in the eyes of people across the league, the backup plan in Pittsburgh. If Aaron Rodgers decided not to come back to the Steelers because then Kirk Cousins would be a veteran quarterback, that would have some appeal and draw some interest from some teams.” So if Rodgers is a no-show, it’s Cousins to the rescue. But it’s not all pivoted to one side. There are a lot of people in and around the league who believe Aaron Rodgers will join the fray and lead the Steelers through one glorious season.

Somewhere out there, like a veteran chess player, Aaron Rodgers might be looking at all this drama unfold, smiling. Waiting for the perfect moment to drop in and take the NFL by storm. If that happens, great. If it doesn’t, Kirk Cousins is the plan ‘B’. Knowing Mike Tomlin, he might even have a few more aces up his sleeve that we won’t know about till he slams them on the table. For now, potentially, we just might have a decision before the end of May.