Gerry Dulac: Is the Steelers' patience with Aaron Rodgers starting to run out?

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on May 5, 2026

Published in Football

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers have displayed saint-like patience waiting for Aaron Rodgers to say he is coming back for the 2026 season, even though a large portion of their fan base doesn’t agree with their approach.

But that patience could be starting to wear thin.

After watching two of their “expected” deadlines come and go — and insisting this isn’t the same situation as last year — the Steelers might not be so understanding if this drags on for two more weeks.

If Rodgers hasn’t given them a decision by the start of organized team activities on May 18 — their latest, uh, deadline — their patience will start to turn into frustration, and maybe something more.

The scenario they did not anticipate and did not want to happen is on a fast track to replicate what played out last year, when Rodgers did not agree to a contract until June 5, just in time for minicamp.

In the words of Yogi Berra, it’s déjà vu all over again.

The Steelers had some measure of expectation that Rodgers might return by the start of the NFL combine at the end of February. Then, based on their conversations with him, they had a realistic expectation a decision would come by the start of the NFL draft.

Neither, of course, has transpired, adding another layer of intrigue that has grown tiresome to their fan base while also chipping away at the patience the team has displayed throughout the prolonged process.

None of that has to do with the unrestricted free-agent tender the Steelers placed on Rodgers last week, a procedural move done to protect them in the event the former four-time league MVP would somehow sign with another team. That is something they don’t expect.

In their conversations with Rodgers, the Steelers have never received any indication he had other options, aside from retirement. And the holdup, according to team sources, is not about money.

It is not a big deal that Rodgers has not cleaned out his locker at the team’s South Side facility. But it does indicate there has always been some level of intention he was going to return in 2026.

Coach Mike McCarthy said he has had constant communication with Rodgers and is apparently willing to wait for his former Green Bay Packers quarterback. That is perfectly understandable. He doesn’t want his first season with his hometown team to end any less different than last year when the Steelers won the AFC North title and made the postseason for the fifth time in the past six years.

Only the Buffalo Bills have qualified for the playoffs more times than the Steelers since 2020.

Rodgers gives him the best opportunity to do that — and maybe win a playoff game.

After waiting this long, it is a foregone conclusion the Steelers will continue to wait for Rodgers. They have been under the impression he wants to return and have not been given any indication to think otherwise.

But his inability to make a decision and sign a new contract has created a measure of annoyance that goes beyond the team’s fan base.

____