Latest Aaron Rodgers Rumors on New Date 'Steelers Have Circled' for Potential Contract Decision

Clear your schedules, everybody—we might, just might, have more clarity on the Aaron Rodgers situation a week from now after the veteran quarterback apparently didn't meet with the Pittsburgh Steelers at all during a weekend visit to the city.

"I think the next date that we should have circled on our calendars is May 18," ESPN's Brooke Pryor reported during Monday's SportsCenter. "That is the start of the Steelers next phase of organized team activities. I believe that's the date the Steelers have circled. So some things could come together in the next week, but so far it has not."

That followed ESPN's Adam Schefter also reporting that Rodgers didn't meet with the Steelers over the weekend.

What started out as a curiosity with Rodgers and his future has grown into a pretty tiresome farce. And more than likely, it's one that won't resolve until June, just like last season.

One of three things is happening here.

The first option is that Rodgers is truly hemming and hawing over his NFL future. One would think that he'd be able to come to a decision four months after his 2025 season ended, but who knows what's going through his head.

The second option is that perhaps Rodgers just kinda likes messing with everybody and doesn't feel the need to formalize anything until he's ready to report to the team. He might not be terribly interested in participating in OTAs and simply isn't signing a contract yet. Granted, that has invited incessant and exhausting discussions about his future plans, though it's hard to imagine he cares much. But the Steelers' mandatory minicamp isn't until June 2, which is probably the true deadline for his decision.

One would hope, under this scenario, that he had enough respect for the Steelers to give them a strong indication of his pending return. Much of the reporting surrounding this situation would suggest some form of communication to that end has occurred.

The third option is that Rodgers and the team aren't aligned on money. Rodgers has a lot of leverage in this regard—the in-house options are uninspiring and the external options are basically non-existent. The reports that Rodgers plans to play for the Steelers in 2026 generally haven't included an indication that the outline for a contract is already in place. When in doubt, assume it's a money thing.

So those are the potential scenarios at play here. Of course, only one person truly knows, and he isn't saying anything.