The football world is still waiting for the Pittsburgh Steelers to sign Aaron Rodgers.
The assumption is that the 41-year old free agent will eventually put pen to paper to sign his deal in free agency.
But until it happens, there’s some unease, especially given that the Steelers could probably use an upgrade at quarterback from Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Skylar Thompson.
There’s a key date looming in the whole saga: June 10. That’s when the Steelers’ mandatory minicamp gets underway.
“I think we are entering a critical stage. We’re not at the critical date yet, but we are entering a critical stage,” SI’s Albert Breer said on his podcast. “And I do think (Mike) Tomlin, Arthur Smith, Omar Khan, it would be beneficial for all those guys to have him there for (the veteran minicamp). So at least they can kinda create a baseline heading into the summer.”
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Veteran minicamp is usually the last chance for a team to get its players together as a full team until they reconvene for training camp.
It’d be tough for the Steelers to continue onward without their potential starting quarterback even in the building.
Rodgers has said he’s dealing with personal struggles, which is totally fair. But if he’s available to show up in Pittsburgh and start to build a rapport with his new teammates, it can’t be a bad thing.
The last thing the Steelers want is to sign Rodgers late, not acclimate well and then end up with a 5-12 kind of record like the Jets had with Rodgers last season.
Pittsburgh’s defense is better, so the roster balance can work out better overall. But if Rodgers is the guy, he might want to show up in early June to have the best possible outcome with the Steelers.
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