Another day has gone by and Aaron Rodgers is still a free agent. Teams are starting to get antsy and making decisions without his signature (case in point: the Giants, who signed Jameis Winston they've gotten so impatient).
As other potential suitors fall by the way side, it's looking more and more likely the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to be Rodgers' final destination. But despite having little leverage to speak of, when he finally tells them yes is anyone's guess. So, it appears general manager Omar Khan is setting a (soft) deadline for Rodgers. Of course, just how effective that is remains to be seen.
According to Penn Live's Nick Farabaugh, Pittsburgh's offseason workouts are allowed to begin April 21. That could be when Rodgers has to sign by, but history suggests that deadline could be arbitrary.
Rodgers skipped OTAs with the New York Jets in 2024, although there was no need to learn a new offense or build rapport with wide receivers and offensive linemen. If he's headed to the Steel City, the team would certainly need all the time it can get with four-time NFL MVP to get acquainted.
Rodgers' delay, Steelers' deadline plays right into the Brett Favre narrative
We all saw the reports that Rodgers was interested in signing with the Minnesota Vikings, seemingly playing right into the Brett Favre legacy narrative. Well, Minnesota said "no, thank you," and now that full-circle moment is off the table.
But Rodgers is still fulfilling the Favre pattern by taking his sweet time deciding what his next career move will be. In 2009, after Favre retired from the Jets in February, he decided six months later to make a comeback (his second in as many years) and sign with Minnesota. He did the exact same thing in 2010, but this time took just a few weeks to return to the Vikings for one last ride.
While Rodgers seems to be on pace to follow Favre's latest example (it's been just five weeks since the Jets announced they were planning to part ways, two weeks since he was officially released), he could theoretically take as long as he wants. This is the first time he's ever been a free agent in his 20-year career, after all.
That being said, the NFL Draft is set to begin exactly a month from Monday (April 24) and teams will want to enter their war rooms with certainty about which veteran free-agent signal callers are off the table before they decide which rookies to spend an early-round pick on.
Pittsburgh's deadline would be three days before the draft, so circle your calendars and buckle up.