A procedural deadline passed in NFL free agency Monday, and the Pittsburgh Steelers acted via a method that makes it a little more likely that they keep Aaron Rodgers.
The Steelers extended a UFA tender to the 42-year-old, four-time NFL MVP quarterback, offering a salary at 110% of what he made for the team last season ($13.65 million). If Rodgers accepts the offer, his base salary would be a tad more than $15 million — still well below market value for a veteran starting NFL quarterback.
That the Steelers tendered Rodgers the offer — a rarity from a team in NFL unrestricted free agency — triggers that they have sole negotiating rights with Rodgers once training camp opens during the final full week of July.
Up until that point, Rodgers is free to sign with any other team, with the Steelers then eligible for a compensatory draft pick in 2028 per the league’s formula associated with unrestricted free agency.
Another piece of minutia resulting from the tender is that if Rodgers remains unsigned on Nov. 17 (Week 10 of the regular season), he is ineligible to play the remainder of the season.
Rodgers started 17 of the Steelers’ 18 games (including playoffs) last season, helping them to their first AFC North title in five years but guiding them to a 30-6 home defeat to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.
Rodgers completed 65.7% of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions during what was his 21st NFL season.
Last year, Rodgers did not sign with the Steelers until early June on the eve of mandatory minicamp. This year’s mandatory minicamp under new coach Mike McCarthy is June 2-4.
There are three quarterbacks on the Steelers’ current roster — veteran returning backup Mason Rudolph, 2025 sixth-round draft pick Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar.
Allar, from Penn State, was a third-round choice last week. The Steelers have said his selection is mutually exclusive from whether Rodgers joins the team or not.