Pittsburgh Steelers use little-known NFL rule in an try and re-sign Aaron Rodgers as veteran QB, 42, continues to stall over his future
The Pittsburgh Steelers have taken advantage of a rarely used NFL rule in their bid to finally end the uncertainty around Aaron Rodgers’ future.
Rodgers, a four-time MVP, has yet to tell new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy whether he will return for a second season in Pittsburgh – and the 22nd year of a remarkable career.
Last season, Rodgers led the Steelers to the playoffs, where they suffered another loss in the wild card round before head coach Mike Tomlin departed after 19 years.
The 42-year-old’s refusal to confirm his future plans has sparked some uncertainty over how the Steelers will approach the offseason. They added to their quarterback ranks in the NFL Draft by picking Penn State’s Drew Allar in the third round.
However, it has now emerged that the Steelers put a rare right-of-first-refusal tender on Rodgers to give them some security.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Rodgers can accept a 10 percent raise off last year’s salary, which would pay him about $15million this season. The tender also means Rodgers would only be able to sign with the Steelers once training camp begins.
The Steelers have taken advantage of a rarely used NFL rule in a bid to re-sign Aaron Rodgers
Rodgers, a four-time MVP, has yet to tell new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy if he will return
Back in March, before the start of free agency, Rodgers revealed there was no deadline for him to decide his future and indicated that he was in no rush to do so.
‘Free agency starts in a week,’ Rodgers told friend Pat McAfee about his current situation. ‘I’ve talked to Mike, I’ve talked to [Steelers general manager] Omar [Khan]. There’s been no deadline that’s been put in front of me.
‘There’s no contract offer or anything,’ he continued. ‘So there’s nothing I’m having to debate between. I’m a free agent. Again, I’m enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the offseason. I think there’s conversations to be had down the line.’
Last month, new Steelers star Michael Pittman Jr. said he believes Rodgers does want to keep playing at the age of 42.
The former Indianapolis Colts receiver revealed that he saw Rodgers recently and – though they didn’t discuss the quarterback’s future – Pittman said he believes Rodgers is not ready to retire.
‘I think he wants to play,’ he said. ‘But I don’t really know – I mean, Aaron is a mysterious guy, right?
‘So he’s going to do whatever he thinks is right and, and if that’s coming back and playing, then that’s great. And if it’s not, we have two other guys [Will Howard and Mason Rudolph]… who are ready to hop in there.’
Pittman continued: ‘I’ve worked out with him in the past and then I saw him about a month and a half ago. We didn’t really talk football. We were just chilling. I didn’t want to put extra pressure on him, and I don’t honestly think I could convince him either way – so we didn’t really talk ball.’
