Steelers Left Hanging as Aaron Rodgers Puts ‘Personal Matters’ Ahead of Football in Latest Tantrum

Aaron Rodgers overstayed his welcome with the New York Jets. But that hasn’t stopped the future Hall of Fame quarterback from casting a long, dark shadow over Pittsburgh, and he hasn’t even suited up in black and gold yet.The proud Steelers fanbase and the storied Steelers organization are losing patience with Mr. Rodgers as the free agent quarterback holds the franchise hostage while he continues to take his time deciding if he wants to play football in 2025.Pittsburgh is the logical landing spot for the four-time Most Valuable Player after every other quarterback-needy team filled their positions. Despite his lack of options, Mr. Rodgers, 41, seems in no rush to confirm his plans, leaving the Steelers waiting, wondering, and increasingly restless.“I’m open to anything and attached to nothing,” he said during an appearance on the Pat McAfee Show, where the quarterback said “personal matters” and “a serious relationship” are occupying much of his focus.“I have a lot of things that are taking my attention and have since the beginning of January, away from football,” Mr. Rodgers said. “That’s where I have been focusing most of my attention on. To make a commitment to a team is a big thing, whether you are a first-year player or a 20-year vet.”It leaves the Steelers with plenty of uncertainty entering the 2025 NFL Draft on Thursday. Pittsburgh has only journeyman quarterbacks Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson on the roster after Russell Wilson signed with the New York Giants and Justin Fields landed with the New York Jets.After a Hall of Fame-caliber career with the Green Bay Packers, Mr. Rodgers spent his last two seasons with the Jets. His first season, greeted with great fanfare and high expectations, ended when he ruptured his Achilles tendon on the Jets’ first offensive series of 2023.Healthy throughout 2024, he guided the Jets to a disappointing 5-12 season, throwing for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. The over-hyped Jets never had a chance after owner Woody Johnson elected to fire head coach Robert Saleh after a 2-3 start. Mr. Rodgers, who served as the face of the franchise in New York, called his two years with the Jets “interesting” and was critical of how he learned his tenure was over. He said he flew from California to New York “on my own dime” to meet with new Coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey, only to be told within “20 seconds” that he was being released.“If they want to move on, that’s totally fine, but I just flew across country, and you could have told me this on the phone if you didn’t want to have a conversation,” Mr. Rodgers told Mr. McAfee. He added the Jets’ only interest was about “how you want it released.”The Jets quickly moved on from Mr. Rodgers and signed Mr. Fields, a former 2021 first-round draft choice with the Chicago Bears before spending last season at Pittsburgh, where he won four of the six games he started.The Jets reportedly feared Mr. Rodgers would undermine the regime and were uneasy about his frequent appearances on the McAfee Show, where he talks about everything from football to politics to his vaccination status.Mike Tomlin, the Steelers’ head coach since 2007, is established enough to handle all the drama that comes with Aaron Rodgers, but the veteran coach only has so much patience and time to prepare for the upcoming season.“I don’t mean any disrespect to any player on [the Steelers] — veteran or young guy that comes in,” Mr. Rodgers said. “I’m just going through a lot in my personal life that has to take precedence at this point. Because that’s a big commitment, and when a commitment is made, it needs to be an all-in type of commitment. I don’t think it was fair to the Steelers or anyone to make a decision while I’m dealing with a lot off the field.”

Steelers Left Hanging as Aaron Rodgers Puts ‘Personal Matters’ Ahead of Football in Latest Tantrum

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