The overarching question of the Pittsburgh Steelers' offseason remains unanswered after an NFL Draft weekend hosted in their own city. Will Aaron Rodgers return? The Steelers front office doesn't know. The coaching staff doesn't know, despite routine conversations between Rodgers and his former head coach, Mike McCarthy. And perhaps most importantly, Rodgers' own teammates don't know.
The common fan theme that Rodgers let the Steelers know of his plans but didn't want to take part in voluntary workouts, or OTAs, is — as we now know — likely false. When asked about Rodgers' plans for next season in the Amex lounge at the NFL Draft, both Joey Porter Jr. and Pat Freiermuth were stumped.
What Aaron Rodgers teammates said about his future with the Pittsburgh Steelers
By now, Rodgers' teammates know better than to speculate on his future. The quotes won't jump off the page, but Freiermuth and Porter Jr. had little to say on Rodgers, not because they were playing coy, but rather that the 42-year-old QB is a private person at this stage of his career. As much as Rodgers seemingly adores drama and thrives when the spotlight is on him, he makes few media appearances and has refused to meet any supposed deadlines the Steelers set for him.
His communication with teammates has been sparse, but not nonexistent, which is a slight improvement.
From Friday: Steelers TE Pat Freiermuth doesn’t sound like he knows much more than us about Aaron Rodgers future #HereWeGo pic.twitter.com/h1nPXkyhLA
— Mark Powell (@mp2_pgh) April 26, 2026
"I (talked to him) a couple days ago," Freiermuth said, as Steelers fans tried to coax a reaction out of him. "He's enjoying life right now...I do not know."
In an interview with Colleen Wolfe earlier in the day, Joey Porter Jr. expressed the same sentiment.
"Aaron and I are close friends, but no I have not heard," the Steelers cornerback told an eager audience.
There will come a time when Rodgers informs the Steelers (and his close friends on the team) of his future plans, but by the sound of it, that'll be on his own timeline. Until then, all we have are whispers, none of which are likely to be provided by his teammates.
What the Steelers NFL Draft haul means for Aaron Rodgers
The Steelers did select a quarterback with one of their 10 draft picks in Penn State's Drew Allar. Allar has a lot of raw talent, including measurables McCarthy can drool over and impressive arm strength. What he doesn't have is where Rodgers excels, thanks to his decades of experience, and that's pocket presence, the necessary footwork, accuracy, and understanding of an NFL offense. That may come with time, but for now, Allar's first step will be to prove he can beat out Will Howard, rather than Rodgers.
Overall pick | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
21 | Max Iheanachor | OT |
47 | Germie Bernard | WR |
76 | Drew Allar | QB |
85 | Daylen Everette | CB |
96 | Gennings Dunker | OT/OG |
121 | Kaden Wetjen | WR/Return Specialist |
169 | Riley Nowakowski | FB |
210 | Gabriel Rubio | DT |
224 | Robert Spears-Jennings | S |
230 | Eli Heidenreich | RB |
Pittsburgh's draft was a confusing one in many aspects. Some picks, like Allar, were made with the future in mind. Others, like fourth-round selection Kaden Wetjen, felt like reaches to fill positions of need. The Steelers have long tried to thread the needle between building for the future and winning now, but with a new coaching staff, many fans hoped they might commit to the bit for once and realize this team is not just a few pieces away from becoming a Super Bowl contender.
But at the very least, the Steelers did not draft players just to pair with Rodgers. We won't know the success rate of this class for another 3-4 years, and Rodgers will be long gone by then. Hopefully, the Steelers will learn of Rodgers' fate for 2026 soon, as preparation for the 2026-27 season is already underway.
FanSided took part in fireside chats with Pat Freiermuth and Joey Porter Jr. in the Amex lounge at the NFL Draft in partnership with American Express.
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