The alleged back-and-forth between Steelers and Aaron Rodgers is getting petty

The 2026 NFL Draft is set to kick off on Thursday, and the Pittsburgh Steelers still haven't heard much from Aaron Rodgers.

Though the Steelers expect Rodgers to return as their starting quarterback in 2026, the veteran has yet to tell Pittsburgh about his future plans, and the franchise is expected to go into the draft with Will Howard as the No. 1 signal-caller.

Rodgers usually takes his time making decisions, and though the expectation is that he will re-sign with the Steelers, this offseason has been no different. However, we may now know why the future Hall of Fame quarterback is delaying his return to Pittsburgh next season.

Why hasn't Rodgers re-signed with Steelers yet?

During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan on Monday, Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio said that Rodgers is irritated by what the Steelers and owner Art Rooney said about his possible return date to Pittsburgh during the annual owners' meetings at the end of March.

This could be the potential reason why Rodgers hasn't put pen to paper with the Steelers yet.

"How about this: One source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Aaron Rodgers is 'irritated' by what the Steelers and Art Rooney II said about his potential return and reporting date at the NFL owners meetings. And this could explain the delay in him signing," 93.7 The Fan radio host Andrew Fillipponi said on X.

What did Art Rooney II say at the owners' meetings?

At the owners' meetings in March, Rooney said that he expects to know whether Rodgers will be the Steelers' starting quarterback in 2026 by the draft. Obviously, that belief isn't going to come to fruition, and as a result, this situation has taken a petty turn, especially on Rodgers' end.

When will Rodgers make his decision?

Last offseason, Rodgers waited until June to sign with the Steelers, though it was expected back in March that he would land there. There's a chance Rodgers does the same this offseason and waits until the summer to re-sign with Pittsburgh for what could be the final season of his illustrious career.

Though Rodgers isn't the same player he once was, the 10-time Pro Bowler was a solid starter for the Steelers last year, tossing 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions with a 65.7% completion rate.

Rodgers is also still a terrific deep ball thrower, something past Steeler quarterbacks have lacked. The 42-year-old posted a 104.8 passer rating on passes over 20 yards in 2025.

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