The wait for Aaron Rodgers has continued into 2026 NFL Draft week for the Pittsburgh Steelers. With that, new criticism has arrived around the team at quite an inopportune time.
Steelers general manager Omar Khan told reporters Monday in his pre-draft press conference the team continues to have “great communication” with Rodgers. But Khan added they don’t expect a decision from Rodgers before the draft.
That update came hours after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported the Steelers “have not received word” from the quarterback whether he will play in 2026.
This offseason, the Steelers have been receiving consistent criticism from media pundits for pursuing Rodgers again. But Monday’s developments brought fresh negative remarks for the franchise set to host the 2026 NFL Draft for the first time in nearly 80 years.
“This isn’t how it was supposed to go. Resolution was supposed to happen more quickly than it did in 2025,” wrote Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.
The insider was one of a few NFL and Steelers writers to address the Rodgers situation ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft.
“My guess is they know, one way or another, if Rodgers is coming back. I’ve been bored by this topic, too, and have not spent a ton of time on it,” wrote TribLive.com’s Joe Starkey. “But this is draft week. It is THE story now, and it is threatening to overshadow the entire event. Not in a good way, either. The Steelers look terrible.”
Rodgers completed his 21st NFL season with the Steelers last year.
“Rodgers is apparently still contemplating returning to the game for another season or retiring, but it sure feels like it’s taking longer than anticipated to get an answer,” wrote SI on Steelers’ Noah Strackbein.
Steelers Receive New Criticism for Aaron Rodgers Wait
Some pundits, including ESPN’s Adam Schefter, have suggested the Steelers could change their draft strategy because they aren’t aware of Rodgers’s 2026 playing status.
If the team wanted to target a quarterback in the first round, then Alabama’s Ty Simpson at No. 21 overall would likely be the choice.
While that’s not likely to happen, public criticism of the Steelers not yet having an answer from Rodgers is more than fair.
Team president Art Rooney III and general manager Omar Khan told reporters earlier in the offseason the Rodgers free agency process would be finished by now.
“Just conversations we had, I think neither side wants to have this drag on like it did last year,” said Khan to the media at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Rooney indirectly set the 2026 NFL Draft as a deadline.
“When I talked to him and Omar [Khan] talked to him, he told us he wasn’t going to take as long this year as he did last year [to make a decision],” said Rooney at the NFL annual league meetings. “I’m not 100% sure what that means, but I expect something before the draft.”
Rooney backtracked on that timeline this week.
“I don’t know if it’ll be before the draft,” Rooney told Pittsburgh sports personality Bob Pompeani. “I think it’ll be soon; can’t put an exact date on it or anything like that, but yeah, I think it’ll happen soon — one way or the other.”
Rooney deserves any and all backlash he receives for that comment. Because he had already “put an exact date on” Rodgers decision. That date was the NFL draft.
The date is here, and he was wrong. There is no Rodgers 2026 decision yet.
Has Rodgers Already Given His 2026 Playing Status to Pittsburgh?
Starkey floated the possibility that the Steelers already know Rodgers is coming back. Steelers insider Mark Kaboly suggested a similar notion on X this week.
That makes some sense. There’s also other online theories. One popular one is Rodgers could desire a higher-paying contract than his 2025 deal. If that’s the case, the holdup in a new contract is negotiations with the Steelers.
Rodgers has also previously expressed how much he dislikes offseason workouts. He could be waiting to sign his contract to avoid any controversy from not showing up to the team facility until June.
Whatever the reason, the unknowns are frustrating Steelers fans and pundits alike.
Last year, Rodgers signed with the Steelers on June 5. That date is now six weeks away.
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