Trust me. The last thing I want to write about the week of the NFL Draft is Aaron Rodgers and his ongoing indecision. However, on Monday morning, several reports surfaced that the Pittsburgh Steelers do not anticipate the 42-year-old quarterback will give his answer before Thursday.
Ahead of his pre-scheduled news conference on Monday, before any questions were asked, general manager Omar Khan acknowledged the report.
“We’ve had some great communication with Aaron, and nothing’s changed, but it’s all been positive and good,” Khan said. “As I said to you (reporters) in March when we met, he knows how we feel about him, and we know he feels about us.”
Khan also said in March that he didn’t anticipate the uncertainty would linger like it did last year, when Rodgers took until June to officially commit. And while the Steelers haven’t set any hard deadline, they have put up goalposts.
Initially, high-level decision makers in the organization believed word from Rodgers would come around free agency. Then, at the NFL League Meeting in Arizona in late March, team president and owner Art Rooney II said that he expected a Rodgers decision by the draft.
It appears the goalposts are moving again. With Rodgers absent to start a three-day bonus minicamp (which the Steelers are permitted to hold since they hired a new coach), what’s the next target? The first OTA is scheduled for May 18. Like this week’s practices, OTAs are voluntary under the NFL’s collective bargaining agreement. Mandatory minicamp begins on June 2, for what that’s worth.
With that out of the way, let’s move on to more news and nuggets from Khan and coach Mike McCarthy on Monday:
Impact of Broderick Jones’ uncertain status
Khan said that left tackle Broderick Jones is “obviously limited” at minicamp as he works back from spinal fusion surgery in his neck. While a report surfaced that Jones had a setback in his rehab, Khan said that “nothing has changed.”
“He’s still working to try to get back where he needs to be,” Khan said. “Nothing’s changed there, and no new information since we last spoke (in March).”
Whether Jones sustained a setback or not, the Steelers need to consider the uncertain health of their 2023 first-round pick as the draft unfolds. The Steelers hosted Utah’s Spencer Fano, who some consider the top tackle in the draft, signaling they’re serious about adding to this group — potentially in an early round. Memphis’ Travis Burke (third-round grade) and Miami’s Markel Bell (third- or fourth-round grade) also visited.
“’Confident’ would be the word I would use to describe our offensive-line room right now, because we have an excellent group of veterans,” McCarthy said. “We’ve got some young guys in here that are going to be good players for quite some time. So I really like the way that blends together. I think clearly O-line, D-line is something you’ve got to always continue to try to add to.”
The last line is probably the most telling part of that quote. The Steelers also hosted two of the top-four guards in the draft — Penn State’s Vega Ioane and Georgia Tech’s Keylan Rutledge. There’s a good chance they add a guard and a tackle.
Moving from 21
The NFL reduced the time a team will be on the clock in the first round from 10 minutes to eight. That change has caused several teams to start talking with other organizations about moving up or down.
“Naturally, we’ve been having — in my opinion — a little, maybe, more conversation than we normally have, just to kind of set parameters of what the value is for this spot or a trade back,” Khan said.
In the early 2000s, Khan’s first job in the Steelers’ draft room was to research historical trade scenarios and understand prices. That skill could become especially valuable with a league-high 12 picks.
What will they do?
“It’s probably too early to really say,” said Khan, who moved up from 17 to 14 to select Jones in 2023. “I mean, all options are on the table. We’re open to whatever is best for the Steelers.”
The GM added that as the draft unfolds, prices could change and opportunities could emerge.
“It just never hurts to ask, because you never know when someone’s really dying to get out (of a spot),” Khan said. “And maybe the value will be different than what you thought it would take. The same going backwards.”
Trading players
Last year at this time, the Steelers and Cowboys began discussing a potential George Pickens trade. Not long after, the receiver was dealt. Khan said that while trade talks are common, deals are harder to execute.
“It happens throughout the year, not just now,” Khan said. “People will call and say, ‘Hey, any interest in trading this player? Hey, we have this player?’ Probably less than 5 percent of those calls actually turn out to be something.”
For what it’s worth, Khan said at the combine that you can never have enough edge rushers — a position group that has prompted plenty of speculation. Even though the Steelers might appear to some to have a surplus with T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig and Jack Sawyer, Khan is saying, at least publicly, that he wants to keep that group together for now.
30 visit considerations
If you’re looking for clues about who the Steelers might draft in Round 1, pre-draft visits historically have been a good place to start. In each of his first three drafts, Khan selected a pre-draft visitor on the first night: Jones in 2023, Troy Fautanu in 2024 and Derrick Harmon in 2025.
“Some of that’s probably coincidence or just comfort you feel,” Khan said. “But I wouldn’t say that our pick would have to be someone that was in for a visit.”
The Steelers have evolved their process, to a degree, with a new coaching staff. About half of the 33 visitors (including local) had some type of medical situation that might have merited further evaluation, for example.
“There’s different reasons to bring players in… We’re not just bringing in the guys we want to draft,” McCarthy said. “I’ve been three places and that was never the absolute. A lot of times there’s medical questions. There’s other things involved.”
Time will tell if the new staff means an end to the trend.
Versatile receiver wanted
The Steelers took one substantial step to address their wide receiver room when they traded for Michael Pittman Jr. Still, that position group remains one of the top priorities. Behind DK Metcalf and Pittman, Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek are the only receivers currently on the roster. Most teams carry six receivers. The Steelers hosted more wideouts (six) than any other position, and they can be grouped into two tiers: three expected to go in Round 1 or 2, and three expected to be drafted in the mid-to-late rounds.
Beyond simply adding a player to the depth chart, McCarthy is looking for a versatile athlete capable of playing inside and outside.
“You start with the physical traits to play inside and outside,” McCarthy said. “I think historically, when you talk about a slot receiver, the first thing you think is: Can a guy run an option route? That’s really what slot receivers were known for. In my experience, I’ve always looked for the guy that was athletic enough and had the ability to win outside the numbers. We call it the autobahn.
“I just never, ever (valued) having a smaller receiver just to run slot plays,” the coach continued. “I don’t play that way, frankly, because our offensive system is built on making a quarterback successful. When you have to run concepts in a pass game dictated on, ‘This receiver can do this and this receiver can do that,’ then you don’t have the ability to move them around as much.”
Right time for a QB?
We started with the quarterback position, so let’s end in the same way. A once-promising QB class has largely fallen apart. Instead of finding the future franchise QB in the first round, the Steelers will likely look to add a mid-round passer.
“As a quarterback coach, I would like to work with any of these guys,” McCarthy said. “It’s not the biggest class that I’ve seen, but I think you’ve just got to decide, really what you’re looking for. I believe in starting lines and floors and ceilings and things like that.”
McCarthy said he was happy to get outside for minicamp on a windy afternoon to remind him that the Steelers play in the elements. He’s talked previously about wanting a quarterback with big hands, long arms and a high floor to fit the demands of the AFC North.