The Steelers’ recent decision to apply the unrestricted free agency tender to quarterback Aaron Rodgers has sparked speculation as to whether Rodgers may be thinking about signing with another team. That speculation has centered on the Cardinals, the only other team that still doesn’t have a clear starter — or two obvious in-house candidates to compete for the job.
Josh Weinfuss of ESPN asked “a source” if the talk “was real.” The response was this: “Not at all.”
It’s no surprise. If the Cardinals were going to make a play for Rodgers, something would have surfaced by now. Despite the links to coach Mike LaFleur and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, the truth is that the Cardinals face a stiff challenge in 2026 — one that would make it difficult for Rodgers to cap his career with a playoff berth.
And so the options continue to be: (1) the Steelers; or (2) retirement. And while a serious injury to a starter in the next two months could change that, the UFA tender will give the Steelers exclusive negotiating rights for Rodgers as of July 22. That complicates any potential plan by Rodgers to take a wait-and-see approach.
From the moment quarterback Aaron Rodgers became a free agent, it was obvious that not many teams were interested in signing him to be the starting quarterback. To date, only the Steelers have shown such interest.
The Cardinals have always been a possibility, given that they don’t have a clear first-string quarterback on the roster. And it would make sense for the Cardinals to be interested in Rodgers.
Nathaniel Hackett, his former offensive coordinator with the Packers and the Jets, has that same role in Arizona now. And Mike LaFleur, brother of Packers head coach Matt LaFleur (with whom Rodgers won a pair of NFL MVP awards), is the Cardinals’ head coach.
Last year, Mike LaFleur was the Rams’ offensive coordinator. They viewed Rodgers as a potential Plan B, if Matthew Stafford had been traded to the Giants or the Raiders.
In recent days, some in the media have connected dots that had been hiding in plain sight for weeks. Even after drafting quarterback Carson Beck, the Cardinals don’t have an obvious answer at the position.
But here’s the reality. How competitive will the Cardinals be this year, even if Rodgers were to join the team? They have to contend with the Seahawks, Rams, and 49ers in their own division, playing each twice per year. The Cardinals also play the four teams of the AFC West, the four teams of the NFC East, the Saints, Jets, and Lions.
If Rodgers is hoping to finish his career with a playoff run, it won’t be easy to do it with the Cardinals. It won’t be impossible. But it won’t be easy.
So, yes, there are reasons for the Cardinals to be interested in Rodgers, and for Rodgers to be interested in the Cardinals. There are also reasons for Rodgers to not be interested in the Cardinals.
Regardless, nearly two months into free agency, there’s been no indication that the Cardinals are eyeing Rodgers or that Rodgers is eyeing the Cardinals. Could it still happen? Sure. Would it make sense at one level? Absolutely.
At another level, it would make no sense.
The Steelers signed tight end Jaheim Bell to a one-year contract, the team announced on Monday. Financial terms of the contract were undisclosed.
The Eagles waived Bell last week.
The Patriots selected Bell in the seventh round in 2024 out of Florida State. He appeared in 15 games for New England as a rookie, catching two passes for 20 yards.
New England cut him out of the 2025 preseason, and he signed with the Eagles’ practice squad in October. The Eagles waived him a week later, and he spent a few weeks on the Steelers’ practice squad before signing a futures contract with Philadelphia after the season.
Bell, 24, did play a game in 2025.
Like last year, the Steelers are waiting for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Unlike last year, there’s been no visit to Pittsburgh or reports of any other sit-down(s) between Rodgers and members of the team’s new coaching staff.
Also, the 2026 tap dance has included a contractual chess move at a time when no one realized the two sides were playing chess.
So where do things stand? No one knows, but Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests that the team’s “patience could be starting to wear thin.”
There’s no way of knowing whether Dulac is simply speculating, or whether he’s been told something tangible with the understanding that he’ll characterize the situation as his own thoughts, and not as anything coming from the team.
Regardless, the fact that the Steelers applied the unrestricted free agency tender to Rodgers shows that they don’t know what he’s planning to do. If they did, there would have been no reason to position themselves for a compensatory draft pick, if Rodgers surprises everyone and signs with another team.
The UFA tender also blocks Rodgers’s ability to do nothing, to wait for a potential Super Bowl contender to lose a quarterback during the season, and to swoop in and finish the job. As of July 22, the Steelers will acquire exclusive negotiating rights to Rodgers, with November 17 looming as the deadline for playing anywhere in 2026.
So what’s really going on? It’s possible that the Steelers don’t really want Rodgers, but that they want him to break up with them. It’s also possible that Rodgers is waiting for the Steelers to close the door.
It’s also possible that the two sides aren’t on the same page regarding his contract for 2026. Last year, he gave them a break by taking only $13.65 million in salary. This year, what if he wants more? If former Packers quarterback Malik Willis is worth $25 million per year to the Dolphins despite having only six career starts, what is Rodgers worth to the Steelers?
The problem is that, by giving the Steelers a sweetheart deal a year ago, they may be expecting him to do it again.
The UFA tender puts more than $15 million on the table. Rodgers may want more than that. Depending on how much more he wants, the two sides could reach an impasse.
Regardless, Dulac writes that the Steelers will continue to wait for Rodgers. Even if they’re wondering, at this point, “What are we waiting for?”
After drafting quarterback Drew Allar last month, the Steelers moved on from quarterback/receiver John Rhys Plumlee. In lieu of looking for another landing spot on a 90-man offseason roster, Plumlee has made the leap to the UFL.
The spring league announced on Saturday that the Houston Gamblers have signed Plumlee. He was listed in the announcement only as a quarterback.
The Gamblers have had injury issues at the quarterback position. On Friday, the Gamblers lost to the Columbus Aviators, falling to 2-4.
Rhys Plumlee, who played college football at Ole Miss and UCF, entered the NFL in 2024 as an undrafted free agent. He has spent time with the Steelers, Jaguars, and Seahawks.
Late in the 2024 season, Plumlee was signed to Seattle’s active roster as a receiver. He has appeared in no regular-season games.
