Aaron Rodgers held an entire NFL franchise hostage until June last year.
Now Pittsburgh is in the same waiting room – and the clock just hit the wall.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II set the deadline himself: decide before the NFL Draft kicks off April 23, or Pittsburgh moves on.
Pittsburgh Steelers Give Aaron Rodgers an NFL Draft Deadline
Rooney hasn't even spoken to Rodgers directly. That job falls to new head coach Mike McCarthy, who has been talking to the 42-year-old quarterback "weekly, every couple of days" – and still has no answer.
McCarthy told reporters he's "confident" Rodgers will return. ESPN's Adam Schefter called it "cautiously optimistic" inside the building. Steelers insider Gerry Dulac went further, telling the Chipped Ham & Football podcast exactly what the organization does know.
"It's not about the contract, it's not about more money, and it's not like he is going to go somewhere else," Dulac said. "It's either the Steelers or he is retiring. That is their understanding, and that has been the understanding all along."
So what's the holdup? Nobody seems to know – and that's exactly the problem.
He Learned This from Brett Favre
If this feels familiar, it should. Rodgers spent three seasons watching Brett Favre run this same playbook from the Packers bench. Annual retirement rumors. Late decisions. Teams left scrambling. Favre dragged it out so long in 2009 he didn't sign with Minnesota until August 18 – days before the Vikings' second preseason game. He then had one of the best seasons of his entire career.
Rodgers has been running Favre's script almost beat for beat. Last offseason, Pittsburgh expected an answer in March. They signed him in June.
Hall of Famer Rod Woodson – a Steelers legend who played ten seasons in Pittsburgh – has had enough. "Is he gonna play? Listen, I get kinda tired of it," Woodson told The Rich Eisen Show. "If he's gonna play, say he's gonna play. The team shouldn't wait for Aaron Rodgers. They need to move forward."
The difference this time is Rodgers told them it won't drag out like last year. Rooney, diplomatically, said he's "not 100 percent sure what that means" – but expects an answer by the draft.
Aaron Rodgers Broncos Rumor Falls Apart
In the middle of all this, a wild report surfaced on April 1 claiming the Denver Broncos were bringing Rodgers in for a visit. Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio insisted it wasn't an April Fool's joke.
Broncos beat reporter Mike Klis of 9News immediately shot it down – calling it "zero percent" likely and pointing out that Denver's own GM had just confirmed starter Bo Nix would be fully healthy by OTAs.
Dulac's reporting explains why the rumor never had legs. If Rodgers is choosing between Pittsburgh and his couch, no side trip to Denver was ever in the cards.
Why the Steelers Are Already Building Around Aaron Rodgers
The Steelers aren't sitting still. General manager Omar Khan traded for veteran receiver Michael Pittman Jr., signed running back Rico Dowdle, and extended defensive end Cam Heyward – all moves that scream "win now." The league noticed. No team builds that way while quietly planning to hand the offense to a sixth-round rookie.
McCarthy and Rodgers won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay. The coach has spoken with him every few days throughout this entire offseason. Rodgers finished 2025 throwing 24 touchdowns against only seven interceptions – then played the final six games with multiple fractures in his left wrist and still went 4-2. That's not a man who can't play anymore. That's a man who can't make up his mind.
The draft is April 23. Pittsburgh is waiting – and this time they've said so out loud.
Sources:
- Art Rooney II, quoted by ESPN's Brooke Pryor, NFL.com, April 1, 2026.
- Gerry Dulac, Chipped Ham & Football, via Yardbarker, April 2, 2026.
- Adam Schefter, ESPN's NFL Live, via Yardbarker, March 31, 2026.
- Mike Klis, 9News Denver, via X, April 1, 2026.
- Rod Woodson, The Rich Eisen Show, via NFL.com, March 2026.
- Mike McCarthy, NFL Annual League Meeting, via OutKick, April 1, 2026.
