The Pittsburgh Steelers are currently stuck in a quarterback limbo. At the NFL Scouting Combine on February 25th, General Manager Omar Khan outlined his vision with utmost certainty: prioritize re-signing either Justin Fields or Russell Wilson, with the goal of securing the team’s starting quarterback before free agency officially began. The plan seemed simple enough. Lock down QB1 and enter the offseason with much-needed stability. But as often happens in the NFL, even the best-laid plans rarely survive reality. 

The ‘Fields vs. Wilson’ project soon came crashing down as Fields decided to test his star power in the open market and was eventually signed by the New York Jets to a two-year, $40 million deal. Furthermore, the Steelers did not show any urgency to sign their other hopeful and instead pinned their hopes on the back of a 41-year-old and 4x NFL MVP, Aaron Rodgers! And to no one’s surprise, Wilson also signed a one-year, $10.5 million deal with the New York Giants. 

The mess, you ask? This made the Steelers one of the only teams without a confirmed QB1 in place, and Rodgers one of the few without a team! The next step? Khan’s last public comments at the NFL’s Annual Meeting in March, where he offered what can only be described as cautious optimism (or even wishful thinking) about the squad’s quarterback crisis. “It’s free agency. I think we understand when you go into free agency, players have the opportunity to look at other things. We have the opportunity to look at other things, and things just sort of happen….I’ll say that might happen this year. It could happen next year.”

Three years removed from Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement following the 2021 season, Khan’s timeline remains vague. Apart from Khan, head coach Mike Tomlin also addressed the elephant in the room with some restraint. When asked about Rodgers and his signing timeline at the annual league meeting, he said, “Not to my knowledge. You know, I don’t know that we’ve approached it from a deadline perspective. Certainly, as I mentioned, you’d like to have settled circumstances. But, you know, deadlines don’t often bring that to a head.”

But let’s examine what this really means! The Steelers have spent three seasons cycling through stopgap solutions. From Mitchell Trubisky to Kenny Pickett to the aforementioned Wilson, they haven’t been able to identify a sustainable answer at the position that defines modern NFL success. Moreover, the Steelers are banking on Rodgers, who will turn 42 in December, with their stability hinging on a quarterback who isn’t even their quarterback yet. 

And just when all hope seemed lost, we finally got some clarity. In April, Rodgers opened up about his future on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ that sent the NFL world into a frenzy. He said, “I’m in a different phase of my life. I’m 41 years old; I’m in a serious relationship. I have off-the-field stuff going on that requires my attention, and I have a couple people in my inner, inner circle who are battling some quite difficult stuff.” And now, in what can be seen as a spiritual successor to the statements made last month, the 4x NFL MVP spoke up on a recent episode of the Joe Rogan Experience podcast, and the truth sounded even heavier than it did the last time around. 

Rodgers stated on segment #2325 of JRE, “But you know what happens and I figured it out during the last year, when I’ve, you know, been in the weeds with these people who are close to me that have cancer, is that innovation is frowned upon. And alternative ways of dealing with cancer are frowned upon, and people who are doing it are getting fu—-g raided. And lawsuits and shutdowns. You got to be real, real quiet if you are helping people on the down low because that’s one of their money makers.”

It is safe to say that Aaron Rodgers isn’t hiding from the NFL. Rather, he’s wrestling with something far more significant in his personal life. But with the Steelers’ Organized Team Activities (OTAs) set to kick off on May 27 and mandatory minicamp starting on June 10, the window for integrating Rodgers into the fray seems to be shrinking every minute. And for a player whose Hall of Fame-worthy career is seemingly left with choosing his third and final NFL squad, the prospect of missing early team functions could be damaging. And how long can patience hold out before it becomes desperation?

Pittsburgh Steelers leave experts “blown away” over their pursuit of Aaron Rodgers

Behind closed doors, the Pittsburgh Steelers are still holding on to a thread of hope. According to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor, there’s still communication going on between both parties, and “they’re still optimistic they ultimately end up landing him.” Why? Because they see him as a “plug-and-play” quarterback. Someone who doesn’t need the reps, just the jersey, and he’s ready.

Still, not everyone’s buying what Pittsburgh’s selling. According to Kelvin Washington, an expert from the ‘Odd Couple’ on Fox Sports Radio, “I’m blown away that an organization like the Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been one of the blue bloods, a historically well-run organization, would be this desperate for one in particular person who is 41 years old, best days behind him, who seems noncommital.”

Washington went further, saying Pittsburgh looked less like a proud NFL powerhouse and more like the Jaguars or Raiders, teams making “desperate” moves. Yet the Steelers seem locked on Rodgers, and that tunnel vision has seemingly raised eyebrows around the league. According to Aaron Rodgers’ Biographer, Ian O’Connor, the quarterback might delay things if another pre-planned trip, like last year’s to Egypt, is on the horizon.

If that’s the case, minicamp might come and go with no signature. For now, Rodgers holds all the cards. Pittsburgh can only wait and wonder, will he walk through the door, or will they be left holding the clipboard? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!