It’s time for the Steelers to draw a line in the sand.
As we head into the week of the 2026 NFL draft, the club still has a glaring question mark at the quarterback position. Aaron Rodgers—who will turn 43 in December, mind you—has yet to give the team an answer on whether he plans to return this coming season. Pittsburgh originally expected word on his career plans within 30 days of their 2025 season ending—a timeframe that was then pushed to the start of free agency and, most recently, “by the draft.”
Enough is enough.
This moving target from the four-time NFL MVP is no longer a mild inconvenience; it’s become a hindrance to the long-term direction of the franchise. They’ve already gone through the start of the new league year, wondering whether they’ll have Rodgers under center. What if he pushes his timeline again? Are they supposed to go through three days of the draft, hopeful that he’ll re-sign? What happens if he doesn’t?
The Steelers need clarity. And they need it before next Thursday.
While Pittsburgh has just two quarterbacks on its roster—veteran Mason Rudolph and second-year pro Will Howard—the team is also equipped with 12 draft picks, including five selections within the top 100. More importantly, the Steelers have done their homework on this year’s class of signal-callers. Of their 30 allotted predraft visits, four of them were used on quarterbacks—including Penn State’s Drew Allar, who called his meeting with new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy at the NFL combine one of the toughest he had all week. “I was explaining a lot of our protections and a couple of concepts he was asking me about,” he said. “It was really fun. Those are the conversations I love.”
MORE: Five Teams That Can’t Leave the 2026 NFL Draft Without a Quarterback
Speaking of McCarthy, he’s essentially the lone reason why Pittsburgh’s waiting game for Rodgers is understandable. Rodgers and McCarthy spent 13 seasons together with the Packers—a run that saw Green Bay post a 100-57-1 regular-season record in games Rodgers started, plus a win in Super Bowl XLV to cap the 2010 season. The two have stayed in touch “every couple of days,” throughout the offseason, with McCarthy explaining that Rodgers is in a “very positive space.”
If that’s the case, then what are we waiting for? Throughout last offseason’s #RodgersWatch, it was made clear that the quarterback was dealing with a personal matter that hindered his decision to return—totally understandable. Now, however, what’s the justification for keeping them in limbo?
The Steelers, despite remaining in search of a long-term answer under center since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 campaign, have remained remarkably consistent. They still have yet to tally a losing record since 2003, and have rattled off three consecutive 10–7 seasons—qualifying for the postseason in all of them.
But entering 2026, things are different in Pittsburgh. For the first time in nearly two decades, the Steelers will move forward without Mike Tomlin as their head coach—a clear turning point for the franchise. With the draft less than a week away, it’s time for them to hold Rodgers’s feet to the fire. Make up your mind, or we’ll move forward without you as our quarterback.
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MIKE KADLICK
Mike Kadlick is a contributor to the Breaking and Trending News team at Sports Illustrated. Before joining SI in November 2024, he covered the New England Patriots for WEEI sports radio in Boston and continues to do so for CLNS Media. He has a master's in public relations from Boston University. Kadlick is also an avid runner and a proud lover of all things pizza.
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