It seems that one team may still be waiting on 41-year-old Aaron Rodgers to sign with them.
And that team is not exactly the sharpest tool in the shed, as far as ESPN’s Marcus Spears is concerned.
“I think you are dumb as a box of rocks if you’re waiting on Aaron Rodgers,” Spears said ahead of the first round NFL draft on Thursday night. “Any organization in the NFL, you are dumb as a box of rocks if you wait for Aaron Rodgers to tell you if he’s going to play football.”
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who have been heavily rumored to be Rodgers’ future home, seemed to be done with the waiting game ahead of the draft.
“I’m told the Steelers communicated with Aaron Rodgers at the beginning of the week that they would like to receive an answer from him before the Draft (at least 48 hours), per league source,” NFL Insider Josina Anderson reported after the first round of the draft.
Well, Pittsburgh shockingly passed on both Shedeur Sanders and Jaxson Dart with the No. 21 pick in the first round and instead drafted a defensive lineman.
So perhaps the Steelers did in fact get a decision from Rodgers prior to the draft? Potentially a private commitment to Pittsburgh?
With Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson being the only current quarterbacks on the Steelers’ roster — the position certainly could have been prioritized in Round 1.
And with Sanders and Dart still on the board for Pittsburgh’s first round pick Thursday, it could have been the perfect time to address those needs — yet, the Steelers unexpectedly took Oregon defensive lineman Derrick Harmon.
Now, barring any trade, they do not have another draft pick until the third round at pick No. 83.
While Sanders is still on the board for a potential trade-up to acquire him, it seems more and more likely that Pittsburgh is doing exactly what Spears believes they should not be: waiting on Rodgers.
If that’s the case, Spears doesn’t see a world where the move would elevate the Steelers much.
“When we went through all of this with the New York Jets, the conversation was that [Rodgers] would make them Super Bowl contenders,” Spears said.
“Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh will not put them in the Super Bowl.”