As organized team activities are set to begin Tuesday, Aaron Rodgers still hasn’t signed a contract to become a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers.

You might have heard something about that.

But while we obsess over that ongoing situation, there will be a few other storylines to monitor this week.

Is T.J. Watt showing up or not?

These exercises are voluntary. But, normally, Watt would at least volunteer for some of them.

However, last we saw No. 90, he was throwing up the deuces on Instagram amid contract extension talks. So, who knows what that means?

If Watt shows up and practices, maybe it’s a sign that negotiations are actually clipping along, and perhaps we can at least get an explanation of what he meant behind that post that had everyone talking a few weeks ago.

However, if there is no traction on conversations with the front office, Watt — who also just became a father for the first time in March — may be inclined to stay home at least until minicamp.

Receiver room reorganization

It’s a second straight year of receiver unrest. Last year, Dionate Johnson was gone, and the question was, who would be the No. 2 pass catcher to George Pickens?

This year, Pickens is gone, and now the question becomes, “Who will be the No. 2 pass catcher to DK Metcalf?”

Maybe the answer will once again be Calvin Austin. He was second among the wide receivers in just about every statistical category behind Pickens, but still only averaged 32.2 yards per game.

It’d sure be nice if last year’s third-round pick, Roman Wilson, showed flashes of being a healthy, capable NFL wide receiver. No such evidence was present a year ago after his training camp ankle injury. Once he got healthy, Mike Tomlin still only dressed him one time.

We’ll also see if Robert Woods has more in the tank than the likes of Mike Williams, Van Jefferson and Allen Robinson, who have been late-career additions at the receiver position the past few years and didn’t yield much production.

Or, maybe we’ll just replace “Rodgers Watch” with “Aiyuk Watch 2.0” or some other wide receiver facsimile this summer.

Perhaps this time, it’ll actually turn into something.

O-line development

Honestly, the most important storyline that has gotten the least amount of attention this offseason is if the Steelers’ young offensive line can take a jump in performance.

A ton of draft capital has been invested in that unit over the last two years. It needs to start coalescing in 2025. One would assume that Broderick Jones is going over to left tackle. Once that happens, he’s out of excuses. It’s time for him to start proving that he was worthy of a first-round selection.

We have no clue if Troy Fautanu was worthy of that same acclaim because he was hurt for almost the entirety of his rookie season. The other two rookies up front — Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick — were solid through the middle portion of the season. Unfortunately, both seemed to fade late.

If the Steelers’ young offensive line doesn’t live up to its billing quickly in 2025, all this Rodgers conversation will be empty smoke because — with his 41-year-old legs — they’ll get him squashed behind the line of scrimmage before September is over.

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Is the run defense better or not?

Seeing signs of improved trench play on either side of the ball will be nearly impossible to glean in an OTA setting. That won’t become evident until the team hits the practice fields at Saint Vincent College — at the earliest.

But new draft choices Derrick Harmon and Yahya Black certainly look the part as defensive linemen. When they arrived at rookie minicamp, you could tell at first glance that physically, they should be able to fit in.

At OTAs, the coaches will get an early indication of how quickly they can pick up the playbook and how fast they will be able to absorb a significant snap count.

First look at secondary

One thing that was evident in spring practice and training camp last year was how quickly the reconstructed defensive backfield came together. That carried over through most of the first half of the regular season.

That’s why the frequent miscommunications and coverage lapses in the second half of the year were so frustrating to watch.

Much like in 2024 when Donte Jackson, DeShon Elliott and Beanie Bishop were woven into the back third of the defense, Darius Slay, Brandin Echols and Juan Thornhill are new pieces that have to be plug-and-play contributors in 2025.

This week will be a chance for the first time to determine how well they all can mesh with the returning DBs.

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