Art Rooney II: Steelers won't wait 'forever but a little while longer' for Aaron Rodgers' decision

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Art Rooney II admitted Tuesday that the Pittsburgh Steelers didn’t expect their quarterback saga with Aaron Rodgers to drag out into a third week of free agency.

The team’s president, though, remains optimistic an agreement can be reached with the 41-year-old, four-time NFL MVP-winning quarterback who is contemplating his future after becoming a free agent for the first time in his 21-year career.

“We keep getting positive signals about it,” Rooney said at the NFL annual meeting. “We feel pretty good about it.”

The Steelers began their pursuit of Rodgers after Justin Fields, who started the first six games of the 2024 season, bolted to the New York Jets on the first day of free agency. The Steelers explored trying to sign other free agents, notably Sam Darnold, who went to Seattle. Last week, Russell Wilson, who started the final 11 games for the Steelers, signed with the New York Giants when it became apparent Rodgers was the preferred option for his former team.

The calendar has flipped to April, and the Steelers are still without a quarterback to complement Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.

“Didn’t envision taking this long, no,” Rooney said.

Asked how much longer the Steelers plan to await a decision from Rodgers, Rooney said, “Well, not forever, but a little while longer.”

Rodgers met with the Steelers on March 21 at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex. The meeting lasted about six hours, and Rodgers apparently talked about his knowledge of Pittsburgh and one suburb in particular.

“He talked about Greenfield and how much he knows about Greenfield,” Rooney said. “We had a good conversation.”

Greenfield is where Rodgers’ former coach with the Green Bay Packers, Mike McCarthy, was raised. Rooney said Rodgers talked about the Pittsburgh-based coaches he has worked with in his career that has spanned two decades.

Last weekend, Rodgers worked out in Southern California with new Steelers receiver DK Metcalf. Rooney was asked whether that session can be viewed as a positive for the Steelers’ chances of landing Rodgers.

“I would say it’s a good sign he wanted to do that,” Rooney said. “We keep hearing he is heading in our direction. All signs are positive so far.”

The Minnesota Vikings reportedly have shown at least a minimal interest in pairing Rodgers with former top pick J.J. McCarthy. Retirement is another option for Rodgers, although the fact he worked out with Metcalf would appear to lessen those chances.

“We’ll see what happens,” Rooney said, “and hopefully we’ll know something soon.”

The Steelers also have a fallback plan if they don’t sign Rodgers. They have two quarterbacks under contract and typically take four to training camp.

General manager Omar Khan on Monday said “it’s a safe assumption” to expect the Steelers to have another veteran quarterback in camp. Joe Flacco, Drew Lock and Carson Wentz are among the veterans still available in free agency.

Khan also said the Steelers could trade for a quarterback. Kirk Cousins is the backup in Atlanta a year after signing a four-year, $180 million contract.

“We kind of have a feel for what’s out there and what other teams are thinking,” Khan said. “Conversations happen here. They happen on the phone. They start at the combine usually, so we have an idea of what’s out there at this point. That’s just not quarterback. That’s all positions.”

The Steelers also could pursue a developmental quarterback in the draft. The eventual goal, Khan said, is to find a permanent solution at the position. The Steelers haven’t enjoyed stability at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement after the 2021 season. For the fifth year in a row, they are guaranteed of starting a different passer in the season opener.

“It’s not ideal, I’ll put it that way,” Khan said. “We addressed it last year. We’re addressing it this year. At some point, we have to find the long-term solution. That might happen this year, it could happen next year, but in the meantime, we’re going to keep doing whatever we can to win a championship this year.”