The Pittsburgh Steelers were back at work on Monday, April 20 to begin their annual minicamp, but quarterback Aaron Rodgers was noticeably absent.
Minicamp is voluntary, so there’s no need to read too much into it, but Rodgers, 42, has still not confirmed whether he will return for another season.
“We’ve had some great communication with Aaron and nothing’s changed, but it’s all been positive and good,” Steelers general manager Omar Khan said on Monday, according to ESPN. “And I said this to you guys in March when we met: he knows how we feel about him and we know how he feels about us.”
New head coach Mike McCarthy also didn’t hint at what the veteran quarterback might be thinking.
“I think Aaron is probably more in tune than we would realize, but I have confidence in where he would be the day he would arrive, if that’s his decision,” he told reporters on Tuesday, April 21.
Team owner Art Rooney II previously said that he expected to have an answer about Rodgers’ future by the NFL Draft, which begins on Thursday, April 23.
But the final decision will come from Rodgers himself, who signed a one-year deal with the Steelers last summer. He said at the time that he expected 2025 to be his last season.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is it,” he said in a June 2025 appearance on ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show. “That’s why we just did a one-year deal. Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on that or anything, so this was really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I’ve had.”
Speaking to reporters at the end of the regular season, he remained non-committal about his future.
“I’m 42 years old and I’m on a one-year deal,” he told ESPN. “So you know what the situation is. Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent. So that’ll give me a lot of options if I still want to play. I mean, not a lot of options, but there’ll be options, I would think, maybe one or two, if I decide I still want to play.”
Rodgers continued, “I’ve enjoyed this experience, and everybody in Pittsburgh has been fantastic to me on and off the field. And it’s really what I was hoping for this experience was, it’s been even better than I was hoping.”
But those quotes came before former head coach Mike Tomlin resigned after the team’s Wild Card round loss to the Houston Texans in January. Rodgers reportedly broke down in tears upon learning about Tomlin’s resignation. Speaking in December, the quarterback cited Tomlin, 54, as a reason he has enjoyed his time in Pittsburgh.
“I played 20 fricking years. It’s been a long run,” Rodgers said. “I’ve enjoyed it, and no better place to finish than in one of the cornerstone franchises of the NFL with Mike Tomlin and a great group of leadership and great guys in the city that expects you to win.”
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