Pittsburgh Steelers

In a Wednesday appearance with Pat McAfee, quarterback Aaron Rodgers made it clear that he hasn’t decided whether he’ll play in 2026. He also made it clear that there have been no talks with the Steelers that would lead to him playing a second season in Pittsburgh.

“I’ve talked to [coach] Mike [McCarthy], I’ve talked to Omar [Khan],” Rodgers said. “There’s been no deadline that’s been, you know, that’s been put in front of me. There’s no contract offer or anything, so there’s nothing that I’m having to debate between. I’m a free agent and, again, I’m enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the offseason and, you know, I think there’s conversations to be had down the line, but right now, I’m not — there hasn’t been any progressive conversations. You know, I love Mike, and Mike and I have kept in contact over the years. I’ve had conversations with Omar. I really — I think Omar, you know, enjoyed having me there. I think the guys had a positive response to our time together. But again, there hasn’t been any deadline set on me. There hasn’t been any contract, you know, floated in front of me for me to like, well, ‘We’re giving you ‘til, you know, March the 8th to make a decision on this contract.’ There’s been nothing to that respect.”

Rodgers added that he’s “interested in what the conversations will be, but there hasn’t been any progression when it comes to that.”

On one hand, it’s no surprise. Last year, Rodgers didn’t visit Pittsburgh until March 21. That was the point, in hindsight, that he decided to play for the Steelers in 2025. And the two sides, by all appearances, decided it would be better for him to not sign a contract until the mandatory minicamp in June than to sign in late March and skip the entirety of the offseason program, until the mandatory minicamp.

Either way, his status was going to be a topic of public discussion and speculation. A distraction, if you will. And it was determined it would be less of a distraction for him to not be on the team than it would be for him to be on the team but not present for offseason team activities.

Besides, the Steelers didn’t pivot to Rodgers until after Justin Fields left for the Jets, taking a better contract than the Steelers were willing to offer. As free agency approached a year ago, the Steelers’ plan was to re-sign Fields or Russell Wilson, but not both. It wasn’t until after the Steelers knew that Fields wasn’t an option (they never seriously pursued Wilson) that they moved to Plan B. And they were content to bring back Mason Rudolph in the early days of free agency — and to make Rudolph and Skylar Thompson the primary options until they added Will Howard in the sixth round of the draft.

This year, it’s Rudolph and Howard with a general desire to retain Rodgers. And they’re supposedly willing to wait for Rodgers, as they did a year ago.

Starting next week, more facts will come to light. Will the Steelers pursue an available veteran? (If they’re willing to wait for Rodgers, they won’t.) Will they bring back Fields on a bargain-basement deal if/when he’s released by the Jets, who owe him $10 million for 2026?

And will Rodgers explore other options? He made it clear late in the 2025 season that he believes he’ll have at least one. Could Minnesota react differently to his overtures than it did a year ago? Could another team give him a call?

He didn’t spontaneously blurt out the fact that he’s a free agent. He knows he can go anywhere. Whether and to what extent anyone else pursues him next week will become a factor.

So we’ll see. However it plays out, the most likely outcome is that he’ll wait again, if only to avoid being under contract for as much of the voluntary offseason program as possible.

He has said it before. On Wednesday, Aaron Rodgers.

When he’s done playing, Rodgers will disappear from public view.

“When this is done, it’s Keyser Soze, and you won’t see me,” Rodgers told Pat McAfee. “You won’t see me. I’m not doing TV. . . . I’m not gonna be out and about.”

Last week, Andrew Marchand of The Athletic called Rodgers a wild card to join the cast of NBC’s Football Night in America in 2026. As interesting (and, for me, awkward) as that would be, it’s not happening.

As Rodgers tells it, it’s never happening.

But never is a long time. The fact that Rodgers did an extended appearance with McAfee on Wednesday, when Rodgers had no obligation to do so, undercuts his claim that he’ll disappear when he retires.

If he’s going to disappear when he’s done playing, why is he appearing while he is playing?

There’s a deeper message embedded in his logic: If Rodgers will disappear when he’s done playing and he hasn’t yet disappeared, he’s not done playing.

The Jonnu Smith experiment in Pittsburgh has ended.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Steelers will be releasing the veteran tight end.

Smith was entering the final year of his contract. He was due to make $7 million in 2026. He’ll leave behind a $3.872 million dead cap charge.

(Smith is represented by agent Drew Rosenhaus. The scoop from Schefter is completely and totally unrelated to his recent effort to question the accuracy of the official 40-yard dash time at the Scouting Combine from another Rosenhaus client, former Ohio State receiver Carnell Tate — even though the flaws from the hand timing of Tate’s performance potentially affected every other player who participated in the event, none of which Schefter publicly scrutinized.)

In 17 games last year, with seven starts, Smith caught 38 passes for 222 yards and two touchdowns. It was a sharp drop from his 884-yard performance a year earlier in Miami.

Smith was part of the trade that brought defensive back Jalen Ramsey to Pittsburgh, while sending safety Minkah Fitzpatrick back to Miami.

A nine-year veteran, the 30-year-old Smith has played for the Titans, Patriots, Falcons, Dolphins, and Steelers. He’ll become a free agent once released.

Aaron Rodgers has not said whether he will play this season, for the Steelers or anyone else. But Rodgers enthusiastically endorses the Steelers’ new coach.

Rodgers told Pat McAfee today that new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy is one of his favorite people in the NFL.

“Mike’s one of the great guys in the league,” Rodgers said. “Just an absolutely exceptional human being with a huge heart. We had a lot of great years together, a lot of fun. He really cares about the players. But he also holds guys accountable and creates a lot of structure and details in the process. I loved my time with Mike. Obviously there are times where like a big brother, sometimes you love him, sometimes you’re pissed at him. But deep down, there’s so much love for Mike and appreciation for the time we spent together.”

McCarthy coached the Packers for 13 seasons, and Rodgers was his quarterback for all of them. The two of them had a lot of success together, including winning Super Bowl XLV, and Rodgers thinks McCarthy will have a lot of success in Pittsburgh.

“I don’t think you can do better at this time in this franchise’s history than bringing in a guy like Mike McCarthy,” Rodgers said.

Will Rodgers, who officially becomes a free agent next week, remain in Pittsburgh for one more season with McCarthy as his coach? Rodgers said his appearance today was not to make an announcement about that.

“Anybody on here who is expecting me to make a big decision, just shut off, turn it off now,” Rodgers said.

Instead, Rodgers will take his time, and McCarthy will wait to see if his former quarterback becomes his current quarterback.

The reduced usage of Steelers tight end Pat Freiermuth has prompted other teams to explore whether he’s available in trade.

He isn’t.

Mike DeFabo of The Athletic reports that the Steelers are telling interested teams that he’s not available. DeFabo adds that at least six teams would be interested in Freiermuth.

Surely, Freiermuth isn’t among the league’s handful of untouchable players. If someone offers enough, the Steelers won’t say no.

A five-year veteran who was a second-round pick in the 2021 draft, Freiermuth had the second-fewest receptions and second-fewest yards of his career in 2025. Also, he barely played more than 50 percent of the offensive snaps in 2025.

Freiermuth possibly would welcome a trade. “I would say that I am disappointed with the lack of opportunities I was given, but at the end of the day, I’m a team player, and I was proud of myself for not making it about myself,” Freiermuth said in January.

The new coaching staff may have bigger plans for Freiermuth, as evidenced by the team’s reluctance to trade him.

Freiermuth is due to make $9.1 million in 2026, with a $1.5 million roster bonus due next Friday. He’s signed through 2028. His cap number this year is $11.2 million.

Steelers left tackle Broderick Jones injured his neck in Week 12, landing on injured reserve. The team downplayed it, expecting him to return for the playoffs, but Jones didn’t play again last season.

Mike DeFabo of TheAthletic.com reports that Jones underwent fusion surgery.

That creates several problems for the Steelers.

They will have to decide by May 1 whether to exercise the fifth-year option on Jones’ contract, which will fully guarantee him $19.07 million for 2027. Jones also might miss time in 2026, so the Steelers might need an option, at least short-term.

“Obviously, he had a significant injury, and we’re monitoring how he progresses,” Steelers General Manager Omar Khan said last week at the Scouting Combine. “I know he’s working hard. It’s early in the process. That’s certainly something that we’re monitoring.”

A first-round pick in 2023, Jones had played in every regular-season game of his three-year career until his injury.

The Steelers could be losing their 2025 team MVP.

Via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, running back Kenneth Gainwell will be testing the market next week upon expiration of his one-year deal with the Steelers. (Post-Combine, Gainwell’s agent surely has a good idea as to what the market will be.)

Gainwell was a bargain for the Steelers a year ago, signing a one-year, $1.79 million deal.

Last year, Gainwell had a career-high 537 rushing yards, a career-high 486 receiving yards, and a career-high eight touchdowns. He appeared in 17 games with only two starts.

Starter Jaylen Warren currently makes $5.9 million per year, on a deal that runs through 2027. He had 958 rushing yards, 333 receiving yards, and eight total touchdowns last year.

If Gainwell leaves, he’ll be the first team MVP to exit in free agency since 1996, when quarterback Neil O’Donnell defected for the Jets.

Whether someone will offer a significant contract to Gainwell remains to be seen. The simple reality for the Steelers, given the nature of the running back position, is that they’ll find another veteran running back to take a one-year deal similar to the one Gainwell signed last March, if Gainwell goes to a new team.

Teams making decisions about picking up the fifth-year options on the contracts of their 2023 first-round picks now know how much that will cost.

The NFL revealed the values on Friday afternoon. There are four levels of compensation at each position. Players who have made multiple Pro Bowls as an original selection are at the top followed by players with one Pro Bowl selection and players who have hit playing time milestones before reaching the lowest level.

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young and Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud were the first two picks of that draft and both of them reached the playing time level of compensation. That will leave them with fully guaranteed salaries of $25.904 million if the teams decide to exercise the options, but longer-term extensions are also a possibility now that they have finished their third seasons.

The full list of 2023 first-rounders — there were 31 that year because the Dolphins were stripped of their pick — and their fifth-year option salaries appears below:

1. Panthers QB Bryce Young — $25.904 million (playing time).
2. Texans QB C.J. Stroud — $25.904 million (playing time).
3. Texans DE Will Anderson — $21.512 (Pro Bowl).
4. Colts QB Anthony Richardson — $22.483 million (base).
5. Seahawks CB Devon Witherspoon — $21.161 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
6. Cardinals OT Paris Johnson — $19.072 million (playing time).
7. Raiders DE Tyree Wilson — $14.475 million (base).
8. Falcons RB Bijan Robinson — $11.323 million (Pro Bowl).
9. Eagles DT Jalen Carter — $27.127 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
10. Bears OT Darnell Wright — $19.072 million (playing time).
11. Titans OG Peter Skoronski — $19.072 million (playing time).
12. Lions RB Jahmyr Gibbs — $14.293 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
13. Packers DE Lukas Van Ness — $14.475 million (base).
14. Steelers OT Broderick Jones — $19.072 million (playing time).
15. Jets DE Will McDonald — $14.475 million (base).
16. Rams CB Emmanuel Forbes — $12.633 million (base).
17. Patriots CB Christian Gonzalez — $18.119 million (Pro Bowl).
18. Lions LB Jack Campbell — $21.925 million (Pro Bowl).
19. Buccaneers DT Calijah Kancey — $15.451 (playing time).
20. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba — $23.852 million (Pro Bowl).
21. Chargers WR Quentin Johnston — $18 million (playing time).
22. Ravens WR Zay Flowers — $27.298 million (multiple Pro Bowls).
23. Vikings WR Jordan Addison — $18 million (playing time).
24. Giants CB Deonte Banks — $12.633 million (base).
25. Bills TE Dalton Kincaid — $8.162 million (base).
26. Jets DT Mazi Smith — $13.391 million (base) Smith was traded to the Jets by the Cowboys.
27. Jaguars OT Anton Harrison — $19.072 million (playing time).
28. Bengals DE Myles Murphy — $14.475 million (base).
29. Saints DT Bryan Bresee — $13.391 million (base).
30. Eagles LB Nolan Smith — $13.752 million (base).
31. Chiefs Felix Anudike-Uzomah — $14.475 million (base).

The latest NFL Players Association report cards graded the Steelers’ home field as the worst in the NFL “by a wide margin.” Coincidentally (or not), the Steelers are replacing the playing surface.

Via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, team owner Art Rooney II said Thursday that the new grass will be Tahoma 31 Bermuda. It’s a mix of Bermuda and bluegrass. The Eagles and Bears currently use it.

“It sounds crazy, but they grow the grass on a plastic sheet first to make sure the roots are growing,” Rooney said at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. “It’s a different blend of what we have been using. They’ve been using it in other places and it’s been working.”

The Steelers previously used Kentucky bluegrass. The field experiences extra wear and tear because both the Steelers and the Pitt Panthers play at Acrisure Stadium, sometimes on the same weekend.

The Steelers have resisted using artificial turf. But they haven’t ruled it out.

“The only way we would consider [an artificial surface] is if the sod farms can’t produce good grass for us,” Rooney said. “We’re kind of at their mercy. If something happened with the sod farms not producing enough of the good grass, we would have to consider a change.”

Hopefully, it won’t come to that. Other teams in a four-season climate have found a way to make grass fields work well. It’s a matter of making the proper investment.

Given the Steelers overall scores on the latest NFLPA report cards, it’s fair to ask whether the Steelers are willing or able to pay what it takes to give the players the best facilities and field.

At one point last year, Penn State quarterback Drew Allar was the betting favorite to be the first overall pick in the 2026 NFL draft. Then he got off to a rough start to the season, suffered a season-ending ankle injury in October, and became one of the biggest question marks in this year’s draft.

Allar is at the Combine, where he’s healthy enough that he’s expected to take part in throwing drills, and teams will be taking a close look to see where he is and what kind of player they think he can be.

The Steelers are one of those teams and have met with Allar in Indianapolis, according to PennLive.com. The quarterback situation in Pittsburgh is in flux, as Aaron Rodgers has not said whether he’ll play this year and could sign elsewhere if he returns for 2026. Mason Rudolph and Will Howard are the two holdover quarterbacks on the roster. The Steelers could see value in adding Allar to the roster, even if he doesn’t project to play as a rookie.

Allar finished his Penn State career with a 63.2 percent completion rate, 7,402 passing yards, 61 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and another 732 yards and 12 touchdowns rushing. He has a strong arm, and many of the traits NFL teams look for in a quarterback. In a year when the quarterback class is wide open beyond projected first overall pick Fernando Mendoza, Allar will hope to impress in Indianapolis.