Art Rooney II Says Steelers Will Wait 'A Little While Longer' for Aaron Rodgers

Pittsburgh Steelers president and owner Art Rooney II reiterated his message from April on Thursday when asked about the team's timeline for an Aaron Rodgers decision.

"A little while longer," he told reporters. "I'll say the same thing."

In April, he suggested the team was willing to be patient for Rodgers to come to a decision but certainly couldn't wait indefinitely.

"Didn't envision it taking this long," he told reporters at the time. "Not forever, but a little while longer."

The Steelers will certainly be hoping Rodgers chooses to continue his playing career in Pittsburgh. The current alternatives on the roster are Mason Rudolph, rookie Will Howard—more of a long-term project than plug-and-play option—and Skylar Thompson.

In other words, the Steelers are in major trouble at quarterback if Rodgers opts to retire. A soft deadline for a decision may be the team's mandatory veteran minicamp, which will be held between June 10-12. At this point, it seems unlikely Rodgers would take part in the team's organized team activities between May 27 and June 5. So if he's going to sign, the window likely will be between the end of OTAs and the start of minicamp.