Steelers Rumors: Aaron Rodgers to Ignore Mike Tomlin’s 1-Year Contract as Kevin O’Connell Makes QB Decision

Frustration is hitting the Steelers like a missed field goal in overtime. And honestly, we all saw this coming. First, it was the whole Russell Wilson vs. Justin Fields saga—drama that felt straight out of a reality show. But even after both packed their bags for New York, Pittsburgh is still stuck in QB limbo. And the main character? Aaron Rodgers.

Reports say he spent six hours at the Steelers’ facility last week. Six. Whole. Hours. And yet—contract details? Still crickets. To top that off, ESPN’s Adam Schefter just threw the curveball, stating he’s heard that Aaron Rodgers may not want to play in 2025. Yeah, you read that right. On Thursday, Schefter reported, “Until I hear him, ‘I want to play,’ then I can tell you people are asking that question about whether or not he wants to play.

It’s come up. I’m hearing he might not want to play, which, by the way, again, I don’t want to speak for him because I don’t want to get called out. We’re speculating, but it shouldn’t be that hard. Either you want to play for the Steelers, or you don’t. What are we waiting for?” Guess we’ve got yet another plot twist in this Rodgers-Steelers saga. But what could be the reason?

Well, the Giants are surely not going to sign him, considering they’ve already scooped up Wilson and Jameis Winston. And let’s be real—the 41-year-old veteran already confirmed his intentions to not sign a deal with the Big Blue. Now, the Vikings could be the reason—at least that’s what Schefter believes.

“There are people who believe that he may not play this year,” he reported on Thursday’s episode of Get Up. “There are people who believe he’s waiting to see if something might open down the line in Minnesota with the Vikings, but nobody knows for sure what Aaron Rodgers‘ game plan is, and for the time being, the Steelers are in the dark.” And that’s where things get pretty interesting for Rodgers and the Steelers.

Look, Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah finally spoke up about the whole Rodgers situation on Wednesday. And here’s the kicker—Rodgers was told straight up that if he joined the Vikings, it’d be as a backup to second-year QB J.J. McCarthy. Now, fast forward to Rodgers taking a trip to the Steelers’ facility, and it’s pretty obvious—the man isn’t signing up to ride the bench in 2025.

But does that solve Mike Tomlin and the Steelers’ problem? Absolutely not. They’re still in the dark. No Russell Wilson. No Justin Fields. And the way things are shaping up, there could be no Aaron Rodgers as well. Because let’s be real—when A-Rod was on negotiation terms with Minnesota, The Athletic reported that the four-time MVP might consider retirement if Minnesota wouldn’t offer him a deal.

Top Comment by Dan

Sign Flacco already.

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And here we are—back to square one. Sure, it’s still a mere speculation that Rodgers may not want to play in 2025, but we just can’t ignore the elephant in the room. And that’s the Steelers still stuck in pursuit of not just Aaron Rodgers, but now a starting signal caller. And just assume if Rodgers decides to call it a career rather than signing a deal with the Steelers, then Mike Tomlin and his crew will need to use their No. 21 pick to draft a QB.

Aaron Rodgers just doesn’t want to be a backup

Here’s the deal: Kevin O’Connell and the Vikings want to sign Rodgers, but on one condition. They want to develop McCarthy as their franchise QB, and for that reason, Rodgers is welcome to join them as a backup. And we’re not making that point. The Vikings GM, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, met with media on Wednesday and shed some light on all the speculations brewing between Rodgers and the team.

See, the GM didn’t give a precise input about this situation, but if we read between his lines, it’s pretty much certain that the Vikings are keeping every option open in case some unexpected happens with McCarthy. “Right now, given all our scenario planning, we’re happy with our room,” Adofo-Mensah said on Wednesday.

“For me to sit here and say that, you know, anything is 100 percent forever — that’s just not the job, right? We’re responding to scenarios and different information as it comes. Obviously things can change but right now we’re really happy with our room and we’re going to look to upgrade it in different ways. But for now, we’re really excited.” See it this way: the Vikings are happy and excited to move forward with McCarthy.

But maybe—just maybe, McCarthy’s torn meniscus isn’t fully healed yet, especially since he’s coming off two knee surgeries. Then the team would like to start with Rodgers. That means only one thing: until and unless McCarthy goes through a worst-case scenario. The franchise and Rodgers are likely to go separate ways.

Adofo-Mensah played it smart—he didn’t straight-up say the team isn’t making Rodgers their QB, keeping it all respectful. But at the same time, he left the door slightly open. Just in case things go south and they need a backup plan down the road.