It’s been over two months since veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers became a free agent, and he still hasn’t signed with a team.
According to one recent report, that may change in the next couple of weeks.
In April, the former New York Jets quarterback told the Pat McAfee Show that he was dealing with matters in his ‘personal life,’ which were part of what was holding him back from deciding on where he’d play in 2025.
On Friday, sportswriter Ian O’Connor, who published a Rodgers biography in 2024, joined Pittsburgh radio station 93.7 The Fan to discuss Rodgers’ looming decision. In his interview, O’Connor said he believes the veteran quarterback will sort out those ‘personal issues’ and sign with a team – ostensibly the Pittsburgh Steelers – by the start of mandatory minicamp in early June.
‘Talking to a couple other people close to Aaron, I think I have a sense of what it (the issues) might be,’ the biographer said. ‘I’m not comfortable repeating it right now, but I don’t think it would prevent him from playing football with the Steelers.
‘I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he’s told [the Steelers], ‘Listen, I’m gonna play for you. I just don’t want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction where I can give you my all.”
O’Connor said he spoke to 250 people when writing his Rodgers biography, ‘Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers,’ giving him more authority on Rodgers’ mindset than most other writers. O’Connor said that he’s continued to reach out to those close to the veteran quarterback, which gave him the sense that Rodgers will be ready to make an official decision by the end of May.
The Steelers have been the primary team connected to Rodgers throughout his free agency. They held off on signing one of the other top veteran free-agent quarterbacks early in free agency – though Pittsburgh did bring back Mason Rudolph on a short-term deal – and drafted former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Pittsburgh has three quarterbacks on their active roster, none of whom were full-time NFL starters in 2024: Rudolph, Howard and former Miami Dolphin Skylar Thompson.
In 2024, his second and final year with the Jets, Rodgers had a completion rate of 63% with 3,897 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. New York let Rodgers know the team planned to go in a different direction in February.
The Steelers will open the 2025 regular season in East Rutherford, New Jersey for a Week 1 game against the Jets.