Tim Benz: We're having the wrong conversation about the Aaron Rodgers waiting game

When it comes to attendance at organized team activities, it seems like Pittsburgh Steelers players assign a level of importance based on how the question is asked.

And who the subject of the question may be.

In general, tight end Pat Freiermuth placed a high value on spring practices.

“Being able to spend time together, talk about the base stuff of the offense so when we hit training camp, we can talk about further fundamentals and details,” Freiermuth said after the first session Tuesday. “It’s very important to be here and work with the guys and get familiar with them. Just get on the same page.”

Quarterback Mason Rudolph had a similar opinion.

“I hope to improve and communicate with (coordinator) Arthur (Smith) in our offense,” Rudolph said. “Learn what I like and the concepts. It’s just getting the timing down and (the) routine. Who do we like where, and who runs what concept the best.”

However, when questions were asked specifically about the prospect of Aaron Rodgers showing up, the tone of the responses was different.

He wasn’t at Day 1 of OTAs with his new team because, well, technically, he is still not on the team.

While many are assuming that Rodgers will eventually be the Steelers’ quarterback Week 1 in New York, the 41-year-old doesn’t even have his name on a contract in Pittsburgh yet, and practices are underway.

Yet fellow veteran Cameron Heyward is downplaying the significance of Rodgers’ absence to this point.

“I think sometimes we put so much stock into the offseason where we can get caught up into thinking it’s everything,” Heyward said. “Yes, it can help. Yes, guys can get better. But who is to say you can’t get better outside of here? Last year, I missed all of OTAs.”

Heyward went on to be an All-Pro.

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Rodgers is a quarterback. This will be a brand new system with a roster of new teammates for him. So, unlike guys such as Freiermuth and Heyward, who have been around here for a long time, there would clearly be more value to Rodgers being on hand now if he truly plans on being a Steeler.

But it’s not necessarily time to panic over potential lost practice time either. On a different tangent of conversation, Calvin Austin mentioned that new receiver DK Metcalf wasn’t on hand Tuesday but had been at the Steelers facility frequently since he signed in March.

Safety DeShon Elliott brought up the fact that he hadn’t spoken with new cornerback Darius Slay yet. But he seemed less than concerned about that long-term impact, saying, “He’ll get here when he gets here.”

Under different circumstances, if the Steelers added Rodgers to the roster for June’s minicamp without three months of anticipation, I doubt the level of hand-wringing over him missing May practices for September games would be as high.

For instance, even if Rodgers had announced his retirement last January but changed his mind and signed with the Steelers at the start of training camp, I think very little would be made of the fact that he wasn’t OTAs in the springtime.

If Rodgers remains unsigned, J.J. McCarthy stinks in the preseason, and the Vikings change their stance and sign him at the end of August, the topic in Minnesota won’t be, “My God! How can this work? Rodgers wasn’t here in May. He was at the Kentucky Derby!”

It’ll simply be, is he better than McCarthy? So if Rodgers doesn’t put pen to paper before minicamp next month or even the start of training camp in late July, the debate here should probably also just be, is he going to be better than Rudolph, Will Howard or Skylar Thompson?

And if so, how much?

Maybe we are fixating on the wrong things with this Aaron Rodgers conversation. If Rudolph somehow gets hurt on Day 1 of training camp — hmm, I dunno, perhaps pushing a blocking sled — and Howard proves incapable as a rookie, I’ll bet that suddenly Rodgers’ lack of attendance in May isn’t going to be a concern if he inks a contract and shows up the next morning at Saint Vincent College.

The real concern, though, is if he actually wants to be here. At all.

Does Rodgers, on any level, at any point, genuinely want to be the Steelers quarterback? Or does he just want to be an NFL quarterback for one more year?

Maybe even for just one more game? Does he just want to stick it to the Jets in Week 1 and tap out? I get the feeling that Rodgers isn’t 100% ready to retire, but he’s only about 50% interested in playing for the Steelers.

I think Rodgers still wants to be an NFL player and cash another eight-figure paycheck, but he’d prefer to do so in another city with another team that has a better chance to compete for playoff wins.

That’s my biggest concern. Forget Rodgers’ ability to catch up once he comes to Pittsburgh. It’s how much he’ll actually give a crap once he does.

Mike Tomlin always says he “wants volunteers, not hostages.” If it’s taking this long for Rodgers to volunteer, then I wonder if he is already feeling like a hostage.

Is he being held hostage by his own NFL timeline that isn’t ready to expire? Maybe he is even being held hostage by a grievance against his former team.

If that’s the case, I hope he stops holding us hostage, waiting for a decision and just goes off to do something else with his time.