For another offseason, four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers’ future is the massive elephant in the Pittsburgh Steelers facility. Rodgers led Pittsburgh to a division title in his first season with the franchise, but after an early playoff exit and a head coaching change, Rodgers’ future in the Steel City is murky.
On Wednesday, the former Super Bowl champion made his first public comments of the offseason in an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show.
“There’s been no deadline that’s been put in front of me,” Rodgers said in the appearance. “There’s no contract offer or anything, so there’s nothing that I’m having to debate between. I’m a free agent. … I’m enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the off season, and I think there’s conversations to be had down the line, but right now, there hasn’t been any progressive conversations. I love Mike [McCarthy], and Mike and I have kept some contact over the years.
“I’ve had conversations with Omar [Khan]. I think Omar enjoyed having me there. I think the guys had a positive response to our time together, but again, there hasn’t been any deadlines set on me.
“There hasn’t been any contract floated in front of me for me to like, ‘Well, we’re giving you till March 8 to make a decision on this contract.’ There’s been nothing to that respect.”
Rodgers did have praise for the Steelers new coach, Mike McCarthy, who he won a Super Bowl with as a Green Bay Packer.
“Mike’s one of the great guys in the league, just an absolutely exceptional human being with a huge heart,” Rodgers said. “We had a lot of great years together, a lot of fun. He really cares about the players, but he also holds guys accountable and creates a lot of structure and details in the process.
” … Mike bleeds Pittsburgh, PA, and I think there’s something special about that — for a guy who’s going to come home and lead a historic franchise. … There’s only a few of those cornerstone franchises. Who else would you rather have lead? A guy that literally bleeds black and gold and loves the city with all his heart. And this is like a dream job for him.”
It’ll be interesting to see where Rodgers lands.
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.