A report from Thursday morning revealed that quarterback Aaron Rodgers would soon be visiting the Pittsburgh Steelers and “will sign with the team this weekend.”
However, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (h/t Kevin Patra) later reported that “a deal is not done and that caution remains until a pact is signed” between Rodgers and the Steelers.
Following the 2026 NFL Draft, the Steelers placed an unrestricted free-agent tender on Rodgers that carries a value of roughly $15M for the 2026 season. It turns out the terms of that tender have something to do with why Rodgers isn’t yet officially back atop Pittsburgh’s depth chart.
Does Aaron Rodgers want more money from Steelers?
“The Steelers recently placed a UFA tender on Rodgers, considered a placeholder,” Patra explained. “The sides must now hammer out a new deal for Rodgers to play his second season in Pittsburgh. Rapoport added that it’s ‘hard to imagine’ the QB plays for $15M — the figure of the UFA tender. It’s possible negotiations hit a snag, but Rodgers’ visit this weekend is a positive sign that a resolution is at hand.”
Months after the Green Bay Packers traded Rodgers to the New York Jets in 2023, he took a massive pay cut to help the Jets better build around him. He later signed a team-friendly one-year contract with the Steelers in June 2025.
Why there may be confusion regarding Aaron Rodgers’ Steelers visit
Also on Thursday morning, Steelers reporter Mark Kaboly of “The Pat McAfee Show” shared that the Steelers had “not been informed” of Rodgers’ scheduled visit at the time the original report surfaced. NFL insider Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculated that “the truth could be that Rodgers has decided that it’s time to get in a room and hammer out whatever differences may remain as to the financial investment the Steelers are willing to make.”
“The two sides have surely kicked around numbers,” Florio wrote. “To the extent a gap currently exists, Rodgers wouldn’t be flying back to Pittsburgh if he didn’t think it is something that can be bridged fairly easily.”
Previous stories claimed that Rodgers would re-sign with the Steelers in time for him to report for OTAs on May 18. For what it’s worth, he doesn’t have to put pen to paper on a deal over the weekend to be ready to participate in those workouts.
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