Recent reports have indicated that Aaron Rodgers could sign a contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers before the organized team activities get underway on May 27.
During a Monday appearance on “SportsCenter,” ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler addressed why the Steelers are confident that Rodgers will soon be atop their depth chart.
“People I’ve checked with say the Steelers remain optimistic here,” Fowler said, as shared by Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. “They have been in touch with Aaron Rodgers, but there’s still no hard and fast update. Clearly, the Steelers are respecting Aaron Rodgers’ time. He had alluded in the past on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ that he had some issues in his inner circle that he wanted to work out. So, the Steelers acknowledge that and are aware of those types of situations.”
Specifically, Rodgers told the “McAfee” crew on April 17 that he was spending the spring focusing on undisclosed matters related to his personal life. However, biographer Ian O’Connor recently suggested those issues won’t prevent Rodgers from being with the Steelers by the time their mandatory minicamp kicks off on June 10.
Rodgers received criticism last June for skipping the New York Jets’ mandatory minicamp to take a trip to Egypt.
Multiple Steelers and national reporters have speculated that Rodgers simply wants to avoid participating in the ongoing stage of the offseason program even though he has no experience playing in the system run by Pittsburgh offensive coordinator Arthur Smith. It sounds like head coach Mike Tomlin and others associated with the club want it known they’d like to see Rodgers inside the building before mandatory minicamp wraps up on June 12.
“They have May 27 OTAs starting,” Fowler added. “They would love [Rodgers] there. That gives him three weeks to potentially sign there and work out.”
At this point, Tomlin and Co. will have egg on their faces if they have to begin training camp workouts in July with longtime backup Mason Rudolph and not Rodgers serving as the club’s QB1. Nothing will become official until a deal is signed, but it seems Tomlin and Rodgers have an agreement worked out for when the future Hall of Famer will begin practicing with his to-be teammates.
