PITTSBURGH — As many members of the Pittsburgh Steelers returned to the team’s practice facility Monday to begin voluntary minicamp under new head coach Mike McCarthy, one man was notably not among them: Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers, of course, has no obligation to report to the team’s offseason activities. Not only are these activities voluntary, but Rodgers also remains an unsigned free agent after his one-year deal with the Steelers expired last month at the start of the league year. Still, the quarterback was a significant topic of conversation during the Steelers’ news conferences Monday and Tuesday as the team continues to wait on word from Rodgers about his future.
And while team owner Art Rooney II said at the NFL’s annual meeting three weeks ago that he anticipated having an answer from Rodgers by the NFL draft, which begins Thursday, general manager Omar Khan and McCarthy indicated this week there isn’t a timeline or a deadline to hear from the 42-year-old quarterback.
“We’ve had some great communication with Aaron and nothing’s changed, but it’s all been positive and good,” Khan said Monday. “And I said this to you guys in March when we met: he knows how we feel about him and we know how he feels about us.”
While McCarthy said the offseason activities are crucial as the team builds its foundation through scheme install and communication, the coach, who worked with Rodgers for 13 seasons in Green Bay, said he believes the quarterback is still plenty familiar with everything going on and downplayed the significance of Rodgers’ absence in the early sessions.
“I think Aaron is probably more in tune than we would realize, but I have confidence in where he would be the day he would arrive, if that’s his decision,” McCarthy said Tuesday.
With Rodgers still mulling his decision, the Steelers shifted their focus to Mason Rudolph and second-year quarterback Will Howard during the first two days of voluntary minicamp.
“What I’ve learned through instituting an offseason program, there are benefits of periods where your veterans aren’t here — and we’re talking about the quarterback position,” McCarthy said. “So this is a very beneficial time for Will and Mason right now. They split all the reps today and in the last two days, and that’s just great work. And when you see it improve from one day to the next, that’s what you’re looking for. … I’m comfortable where we are, and we’re giving [Rodgers] the space to make his decision.”
While Rudolph is a six-year NFL veteran, Howard is coming off a rookie year in which he was sidelined for most of the season on injured reserve following a training camp injury to his pinky finger. McCarthy raved about Howard in the months since taking over for Mike Tomlin, and he continued to express his excitement with the quarterback after working with him.
“Just meeting with him in January compared to today, he’s had a really good offseason before the offseason,” McCarthy said. “He’s in much better shape. I’ve been very impressed with his movement skills. We’re just two days into footwork drills, which we’ve been allowed to do the last two days, and I’ve been impressed.”
McCarthy also said he prefers to have three quarterbacks on the roster and perhaps a fourth in the building if they can keep one on the practice squad. The Steelers have 12 picks in the NFL draft and did significant homework on the 2026 quarterback draft class. They hosted four quarterbacks for in-person predraft visits in Penn State’s Drew Allar, Miami’s Carson Beck, North Dakota State’s Cole Payton and Arkansas’ Taylen Green. McCarthy also attended Garrett Nussmeier’s pro day at LSU and spoke with Alabama’s Ty Simpson at the NFL scouting combine.
“We speak on it as being the most important position of football,” McCarthy said Monday of quarterbacks. “And I think it’s important to always try to add to it if you can, but that’s the fit.”
