Aaron Rodgers has been the hottest topic of the offseason. The future NFL Hall of Famer has been in the spotlight for months after being released by the Jets. Rodgers is entering the final years of his career and is simply hoping to go out on a high note. There was some speculation that he was waiting to see what would happen in the Vikings’ quarterback room.
“I can't say he's rooting for [McCarthy] to get hurt, it's just sort of a back-of-mind feeling of that maybe he's sort of waiting that out. It's hard with Aaron Rodgers because he's so unpredictable and this is his first foray into free agency, so I can't even begin to get into his mind,” ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler said. “Look, he's a smart guy. He sees a team with a good offense, a really good offensive coach. That's pretty attractive to him I would assume.”
Despite that speculation, Rodgers had been heavily linked to the Steelers throughout the offseason—largely due to their underwhelming quarterback situation. At one point, it was believed he had given the team 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.
Rodgers eventually informed the Steelers of his intent to sign with them, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. However, finalizing the contract took longer than expected.
“Contract parameters have been in place for months, per Pelissero. Once the deal is finalized and Rodgers signs, he'll be able to take the field with Pittsburgh,” Yahoo Sports’ Frank Schwab wrote.
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Given that both sides had been working on the contract for months, it’s unclear what caused the delay. Still, in the end, the Steelers landed their quarterback.