Cam Heyward Clarifies Aaron Rodgers Comments, Says Steelers Are in 'State of Urgency'

As Aaron Rodgers continues to explores his options, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward has clarified his earlier comments about Rodgers, emphasizing that the team is in a "state of urgency" to find a quarterback.

Speaking on the Not Just Football podcast (12:00 mark), Heyward expressed concerns about Rodgers' offseason decision-making process, saying, "Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t."

"That’s simple, that’s the pitch," Heyward added. "If you want me to recruit, that’s the recruiting pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers—if you want to be part of it, so be it. If you don’t, no skin off my back."

Since Heyward's comments, Rodgers visited the Steelers on Friday, but his future still remains uncertain. Meanwhile, Heyward clarified his remarks about the 41-year-old quarterback, saying he doesn’t believe he "really called him out."

"It's funny. Everybody gave me crap," Heyward said on The Rich Eisen Show on Saturday. "They said I called him out. I don't think I really called him out. I just said I was not going to go on a darkness retreat to recruit him. That if he wants to be a Steeler, he can be a Steeler. That's the pitch. I don't know why everybody thought, 'Oh, Cam's really going at him.' Some fans felt like, 'Oh yeah, keep doing that,' and the other fans felt like, 'Oh, man, you're really gonna scare him off.' I'm not scaring anybody off. I just want to win games and play good football."

In addition, Heyward acknowledged that the Steelers are growing desperate for a starting quarterback ahead of the 2025 season. Russell Wilson, their fallback option, has yet to sign with another team but is pressuring Pittsburgh to make a decision after visiting with Cleveland and the New York Giants, per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler.

"I think we're in a state of urgency," Heyward continued. "We have a lot of guys that, like myself, are in the latter stages of their career. We all want to win. It's not just enough to win a playoff game, which we haven't won in a couple years, and there's a bad taste in our mouth because of that."

Rodgers could emerge as the Steelers' top option if he doesn't reach a deal with his preferred team, the Minnesota Vikings, whom he is waiting on, per The Athletic's Michael Silver, Dianna Russini and Alec Lewis. However, if a deal with the Vikings falls through, Rodgers could choose to retire rather than play for the Steelers or another interested team, such as the New York Giants, per their reports.

The Steelers rank ninth in the NFL in average roster age, including veteran leaders like Heyward, who will turn 36 before next season, linebacker T.J. Watt, who will turn 31 during the season and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who is 28. All three have been with the team since at least 2019.

"Urgency to do it before we have multiple guys that hang it up," Heyward said. "You have a guy like T.J. Watt. You don't just get a T.J. Watt and you sit on that T.J. Watt, you make sure you maximize those opportunities to win at a high level. And with Minkah Fitzpatrick -- All-Pro guys that are soon to be Hall of Famers that we have so much respect for. We've got to win now. It's not enough to look toward the future and say, 'Oh, two or three years out we could be very good.' Two or three years out we could be a totally different team, so we've got to make the most of this right now."

With the Steelers not picking until No. 21 in the draft, Rodgers may be their best option as he continues to keep everyone on edge with his decision.