Aaron Rodgers, still deciding whether he will play in the 2026 season, has been working to stay in shape likely in preparation for the season, according to a source, and that appears to be good news for the Pittsburgh Steelers as the NFL team has a spot reserved for him as their starting quarterback.
But here’s some sad news for the club: Rodgers, who speaks regularly with Steelers coach Mike McCarthy, has not yet definitively committed to playing in 2026 for the Steelers.
Or anyone else.
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) leaves the field after the game against the Miami Dolphins at Acrisure Stadium on December 15, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
Khan: Communication continues
“We’ve had great communication with Aaron and nothing’s changed, but it’s still positive and good,” general manager Omar Khan said Monday. “I told you in March when we met, he knows how we feel about him and we know how he feels about us.”
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I’m now looking for this sentence where Khan says Rodgers definitely plays for the Steelers…
No, not there.
The best way to describe the affinity each side currently “feels” is a long-distance romance, as Rodgers has been traveling and not in Pittsburgh, while the Steelers opened a voluntary minicamp on Monday where Rodgers was not present.
Sophomore quarterback Will Howard was expected to take the majority of first-team reps with the offense during camp that runs through Wednesday.
And suddenly the excitement that Rodgers might commit to the Steelers in the NFL draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh starting Thursday night, is running out of steam.
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy (right) speaks during a press conference introducing him as the Steelers’ next head coach as owner Art Rooney II (left) listens at the PNC Champions Club at Acrisure Stadium on January 27, 2026; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
Rooney awaits a decision by then
It should be noted that it was the Steelers who made everyone believe that a Rodgers decision could be made by this week. Club owner Art Rooney II told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at the NFL’s annual meetings that he now expects certainty.
Steelers owners hope to have clarity on Aaron Rodgers’ future ‘over the next month’
“I hope we have an answer before the draft,” Rooney said.
Khan, noting that Rodgers took until June to certify his decision to play the 2025 season for the Steelers, said at the NFL Combine in February that the process would not be as long this year.
“I think neither side wants this situation to drag on like last year,” Khan said.
And yet, here we are.
By the way, Rodgers has two choices to choose from:
Play for the Steelers.
Or retire.
There is no option C because the only team in the NFL that has yet to make other plans for its starting quarterback position is the Arizona Cardinals and joining a rebuilding program would not be attractive to Rodgers.
Quarterback Ty Simpson of the Alabama Crimson Tide passes during the game against the Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium on October 11, 2025 in Columbia, Missouri. (Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
Ty Simpson: an option?
It’s possible, depending on what the Steelers talent evaluators and Khan have decided, that the Steelers will take a hard look at drafting Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson.
Simpson is the only QB prospect not named Fernando Mendoza with serious hope of being selected in the first round. So it might make sense for the Steelers to consider him long-term as an investment with their No. 21 overall selection, whether they have Rodgers or not.
If Rodgers retires and retires in the coming days, the Steelers might want a player such as Simpson as a possible addition to their quarterback room.
Even if Rodgers tells the Steelers he will return, it may behoove the club to still consider Simpson in the draft because Rodgers is 42 and will turn 43 during the season.
Khan said the club’s decision on a quarterback in the draft would have nothing to do with Rodgers.
“Yes, we will evaluate it,” Khan said. “It doesn’t change our evaluation process. We continue to place guys (on the selection committee), where they need to be, and, you know, we’ll just see how it goes.”
