Aaron Rodgers’ future remains very much up in the air, but Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin is happy to be patient to learn the four-time MVP’s decision.
The Steelers, having seen both Justin Fields and Russell Wilson depart in free agency, have a major need at quarterback, their depth chart at the game’s most important position consisting of Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson.
Rodgers, who parted company with the New York Jets following an ill-fated spell at MetLife Stadium, met with the Steelers 10 days ago.
The 41-year-old had a throwing session with wide receiver DK Metcalf, traded to the Steelers from the Seattle Seahawks this month, at the campus of the UCLA Bruins over the weekend.
But there is speculation that Rodgers would prefer to sign for the Minnesota Vikings, who have also shown interest in the former Green Bay Packers star despite having 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy on the roster. McCarthy has yet to play a regular-season game after suffering a torn meniscus in the first preseason game last year.
Asked at the annual league meetings on Monday about Pittsburgh’s meeting with Rodgers, Tomlin said: “We had a really productive day.
“He’s been in this thing a long time. I’ve been in this thing a long time. But there’s no substitute for intimacy and spending time together and getting to know one another in a non-competitive environment.
“So, that was really good. But I don’t have any new updates in terms of where the process is. We’ll see where it leads us.”
Tomlin is not in any hurry to find out where it leads them.
“I’m really comfortable with being unsettled at this time of year, to be quite honest with you. It’s about talent acquisition,” he added.
“We’ve got two main means of acquiring talent — free agency and the draft. We multitask. We do both. Those needs that we fulfil in free agency, we do so there, and when we don’t, we fulfil it in the draft.
“I just learned over the years that this time of the year, although day to day it could be somewhat uncomfortable, it is a process.”
