The Pittsburgh Steelers remain loyal to Aaron Rodgers, even though he has never played a snap for the team. Yet, he is the franchise’s preferred choice to be their quarterback for the upcoming season. Rodgers has had an impressive career at the position, and as his time winds down, he is aiming to make one more run at a Super Bowl.
Rodgers has made it clear that if retirement is his next step, he would be open to retiring as a Packer—on one condition: the Packers must approach him first.
“There’s a lot of love for me and how I feel about the team. If I do or I don’t [retire as a Packer], I don’t think it should make a difference, I’m not sure yet. If they approached me about it, I probably would,” Rodgers said.
However, retirement doesn’t seem imminent. He has been dropping subtle hints about coming to Pittsburgh and reportedly gave the Steelers a verbal commitment.
“I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he’s told [the Steelers], ‘Listen, I’m gonna play for you. I just don’t want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction where I can give you my all,’” Ian O’Connor said.
The Steelers’ waiting game has prompted former franchise quarterback Terry Bradshaw to criticize Pittsburgh and question Rodgers’ current ability.
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“That’s a joke,” Bradshaw said. “That to me is just a joke. What are you gonna do? Bring him in for one year — are you kidding me? That guy needs to stay in California. Go somewhere and chew on bark and whisper to the gods out there.”
Bradshaw is clearly against the Steelers acquiring Rodgers as the veteran presence their QB room lacks. He acknowledges that Rodgers’ time is running out and that retirement is inevitable, which would force Pittsburgh back to square one.
