It took 3 months, but Steelers remained confident Aaron Rodgers was signing

The Pittsburgh Steelers spent the opening days of the new league year with only Skylar Thompson as the only quarterback on their roster. They didn’t have a bona fide starter until Aaron Rodgers signed almost three months later.

Through it all, the Steelers brain trust said Wednesday, they remained secure in the belief they were going to get their four-time MVP-winning guy.

“I probably was pretty comfortable well before you guys,” coach Mike Tomlin told assembled media at Saint Vincent on Wednesday. “No, I did not waver from that.”

Word broke publicly that the 41-year-old Rodgers was signing a one-year deal with the Steelers on June 5. From the start of free agency March 10 until that date, the team added to Thompson only sixth-round pick Will Howard and longtime backup Mason Rudolph.

The flirtations between Rodgers and the Steelers played out via media throughout the spring after Rodgers was released from the New York Jets, and the Steelers allowed Justin Fields and Russell Wilson to depart in free agency.

Steelers general manager Omar Khan said the organization remained in regular contact with Rodgers and his representation.

“We obviously were having conversations,” Khan said in his first media availability since the Rodgers signing. “Some people might view my patience or our patience as a weakness, but we view it as a strength. And we just felt good about it.

“If there was a point where we didn’t think we would end up where we wanted to end up, then we would have gone in a different direction. We felt comfortable and good about it. We wanted Aaron Rodgers, and Aaron Rodgers wanted to be a Steeler. And it worked out.”