There was once a time when it didn\u2019t seem like Aaron Rodgers would be back in Pittsburgh again. Then Mike McCarthy was hired. And the Steelers\u2019 brass has done nothing but talk up the idea of bringing him back.<\/p>\n
That continued this week, with Omar Khan reaffirming that the team<\/a> is waiting for him to make a decision. From all aspects, the Steelers have made it clear they\u2019re happy to wait for Rodgers, and it seems they would welcome him back.<\/p>\n But what if it\u2019s just coach-speak? Yahoo Sports\u2019 Jori Epstein thinks that might be the case. She doesn\u2019t rule Rodgers out, but she does question how true Pittsburgh\u2019s interest in Rodgers really is.<\/p>\n \u201cI understand that Omar Khan\u2019s top job is not to tell us the truth when he needs leverage in negotiations. I also think we should keep that in mind, that on face value, when they talked about Aaron Rodgers, you would think this is a team that is absolutely, \u2018Aaron, if you want it, we\u2019re in, just let us know\u2019. And then when you start to peel it back, I\u2019m not that sure that that\u2019s the case,\u201d Epstein said Wednesday on the Inside Coverage podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n Epstein is right that Khan is never going to tip his hand, just as any GM would. There are a number of players with question marks on the roster, including names like Jalen Ramsey and Patrick Queen, and Khan hinted at keeping both of them<\/a>. Of course, if he were actually planning to trade or release one, he wouldn\u2019t go talking about it to the media. Only time will tell how true those statements are.<\/p>\n For what it\u2019s worth, the interest in Aaron Rodgers does seem genuine. The Steelers had a clear interest in Rodgers last offseason, and went through all of free agency and the draft before Rodgers actually made his decision. It clearly wasn\u2019t a facade then. With a solid first season together, and with how poor this offseason\u2019s quarterback market is, it probably isn\u2019t now either.<\/p>\n However, there are a couple of interesting names still out there. Epstein thinks it\u2019s still too soon to count the Steelers out of those conversations.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think we should for sure count them out of the bidding for other guys,\u201d Epstein said. \u201cThat middle-class quarterback, so to say, who they feel like has potential that wasn\u2019t met at an earlier stop, which makes me wonder about Malik Willis, or even Kyler Murray.\u201d<\/p>\n