On March 4, four-time NFL MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers joined The Pat McAfee Show and shared his perspective on the free-agency drama enveloping the football world.
“There’s been no deadline that’s been put in front of me,” Rodgers, 42, told McAfee. “There’s no contract offer or anything, so there’s nothing that I’m having to debate between. I’m a free agent. I’m enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the offseason.”
By the looks of the Pittsburgh International Airport, Steelers fans are not enjoying this part of the offseason.
On Saturday afternoon, The Athletic Steelers beat reporter Mike DeFabo posted a photo of several Rodgers No. 8 Steelers jersey T-shirts hanging on a 50%-off clearance rack at an airport store. “Postcard from the Pittsburgh airport,” DeFabo wrote.
A Steelers fan account replied with a Spider-Man GIF saying, “Good riddance.” Another Pittsburgh fan named Aileen wrote, “What do they know that Steelers beat writers don’t?” A popular Pittsburgh X (formerly Twitter) fan account with 45,000 followers simply reacted with, “Whoa.”
At the 2026 NFL Combine last month, Steelers general manager Omar Khan told reporters that he’d been having “good” and “honest” conversations with Rodgers but, ultimately, had no update to share.
“No deadline,” Khan said. “All I’ll tell you guys is that I don’t foresee this going like it did last year.”
Rodgers signed a one-year contract with Pittsburgh last June after the New York Jets released him in March 2025.
Rodgers missed one game for the 10-7 Steelers with a fracture in his non-throwing wrist, but he posted 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions on 65.7% completion across 16 regular-season games. The Steelers were pummeled in the AFC Wild Card by the Houston Texans, 30-6.
This week, newly hired Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy said it would “be a great story” if Rodgers re-signed, as it would reunite him with the quarterback he coached for 13 years in Green Bay. McCarthy and Rodgers led the Packers to a Super Bowl XLV victory over the Steelers in February 2011.
McCarthy had no news to share regarding Rodgers’ future, but Steelers All-Pro defensive lineman Cameron Heyward said on his “Not Just Football” podcast that he’d just talked to Rodgers.
“He sounded great,” Heyward said. “He sounded like he was at peace, but he still loves ball. I think he’s gonna play.”
After the Combine, NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry reported that Rodgers was “leaning towards coming back” and “the current expectation is that if he comes back, it would be to return to Pittsburgh.”
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier this month that the Steelers are “hopeful” and “optimistic” that Rodgers will be their QB1 in 2026, but, if not, they will roll with 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard, who has yet to take his first NFL snap.
An airport store struggling to get people to take Rodgers jerseys off its hands isn’t an indicator of whether Rodgers will re-sign with the Steelers, but it does reflect how welcoming Steelers fans may be if he does return in 2026. Of course, if Rodgers returns and leads the Steelers to their first playoff win since 2016, all will be forgiven.