Citing personal matters that are commanding his attention, Aaron Rodgers isn’t ready to announce whether he will play for the Pittsburgh Steelers — or any other NFL team — in the 2025 season.
Appearing Thursday on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show,” the 41-year-old quarterback did not give an indication when he would make an announcement on his future, although he said several times he is not “holding anyone hostage.”
“I don’t think it’s fair to the Steelers or anyone to make a decision when I’m dealing with a lot off the field,” Rodgers said. “At the same time, I want to keep the lines of communication open. I’ve talked to all the important people. The people that need to know, know what is going on.
“The people who don’t, (they) make up (crap) about me.”
Rodgers said he did talk to the New York Giants and coach Brian Daboll before they signed veterans Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson. He said reports of Rodgers waiting for an offer from the Minnesota Vikings are “not accurate.”
The four-time NFL MVP and former Super Bowl champion also said he is not holding out for a multiyear contract or a deal that is worth $30-40 million, as has been reported.
“I’ve been straight with teams from the start, starting with the money thing,” he said. “I told every single team it’s not about the money. I’ll play for 10Ms.”
Rodgers did not divulge the circumstances surrounding his personal life, but he said it has occupied his attention since the offseason began in January.
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“I’m just going through a lot in my life that has to take precedent at this point,” he said. “That’s a big commitment, and when a commitment to a team is made, it has to be an all-in commitment.”
The Steelers extended an offer to Rodgers in March once they lost quarterback Justin Fields to the New York Jets in free agency. When the Steelers hadn’t received an answer from Rodgers in late March, team president Art Rooney II said the organization was willing to wait “not forever, but a little while longer.”
With the NFL Draft approaching next week and just two quarterbacks under contract, the Steelers are still waiting.
“The entire time I haven’t felt like I’ve owed anybody a decision at any point,” Rodgers said. “This is my life. Things are different now. My life is different, my personal life is different. I’ve been upfront with them. If you need to move, if you need to do something, by all means (do it). Nothing but love and respect if that is the decision that needs to be made. But there’s been no deadline.”
Wearing a black T-shirt and baseball cap while sitting outside his beach house in Malibu, Calif., with his dog Apollo perched by his side, Rodgers discussed his visit to the Steelers on March 21 at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex.
Rodgers said he tried to conduct the visit as quietly as possible, flying into an unnamed airport and renting a Chevy Malibu for his drive to the South Side. Rodgers said he was ushered into the complex through a practice field.
At the facility, he met with coach Mike Tomlin, general manager Omar Khan, offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and quarterbacks coach Tom Arth, who was briefly his teammate with the Green Bay Packers in the 2006 offseason.
“I wanted to see what it was like there,” he said. “To get to meet Omar in person, to get a glimpse, a snippet of what life would be like in Pittsburgh. I thought it was important to go see it in person.”
Of Tomlin, Rodgers said, “He’s more than I even thought from afar as far as the type of person that he is. I have lot of respect for what he’s accomplished in the league.”
Rodgers said he has kept in contact with Tomlin since the in-person meeting. He didn’t divulge other specific teams that may have interest in signing him, and he acknowledged he may not play football anymore.
“I’m not holding anyone hostage,” Rodgers said. “I was honest from the jump about where I’m at mentally and some of the constraints that I have in my life right now. I’m open to anything and attached to nothing, so retirement could be a real possibility. My focus has been and will continue to be on my personal life.”