MIKE BURKE

Allegany Communications Sports

The NFL season starts in less than 100 days, or so we’ve been told, and with organized team activities (OTAs) underway, there seems to be an Aaron Rodgers sighting almost every day, yet no word as to the 41-year-old quarterback’s availability to serve as the Pittsburgh Steelers starter for the coming season.

Never mistake Rodgers for the NFL’s modern-day Garbo. It might seem as though he wants to be alone (Garbo said she actually said “let alone”), but if that were the case, why would he continue to dangle the cryptic carrot on the stick as to where, or if, he will be playing this season in the NFL?

Make no mistake, he thrives on attention; he just wants to receive it by his own doing.

Last week, for instance, the four-time Most Valuable Player took part in a fan question-and-answer session on stage at an event hosted by rapper Mike Stud, and was asked if he would ever join the Chicago Bears, bitter rivals of Rodgers’ longtime Green Bay Packers.

“No, but I believe there’s a team that might play in Chicago this year on a road trip,” Rodgers said. “I don’t know, not sure. Got to check it out. I love Chicago, though. Way more than they love me. It’s been a great relationship. All one way.”

Naturally, like dutiful ants scrambling to seek bread crumbs, the pundits dug in to uncover the clear clue that the Steelers will play the Bears in Chicago on November 23.

Of course, seven other teams will also play in Chicago this season, including the New Orleans Saints and the Minnesota Vikings, thought to be potential landing spots for Rodgers as well, although in the same Q-and-A, Rodgers responded with a quick “No” when asked if he would play for New Orleans.

From the latest of Rodgers’ inanities, it should not be deduced that he will be the next Steelers starting quarterback. More so from the body language of the Steelers themselves does it appear that Rodgers will be their next starting quarterback.

At the NFL’s annual league meetings on April 1, Steelers President Art Rooney II said “all signs are positive” that Rodgers will land in Pittsburgh, while head coach Mike Tomlin says there’s no deadline for the free-agent Rodgers to sign. Linebacker Alex Highsmith said on NFL Network that waiting on Rodgers’ decision is no “distraction at all.”

Even the current starting quarterback Mason Rudolph said of the impending arrival of Rodgers, “That’s nothing new to me. There’s been constant noise. That is the nature of the NFL. So I have been used to that for a long time now. (I can) do nothing but be the best I can be and help our team get better this spring.”

Rudolph, of course, has a history with the Steelers, having been on their roster from 2018-23, even helping them to the playoffs in 2023, for which he was rewarded with a season as the Tennessee Titans’ backup.

He’s back with Pittsburgh now on a two-year deal, but certainly with the understanding that he is still Mason Rudolph, not the guy the Steelers had in mind when they traded for Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf.

The other quarterback currently in the room is former Ohio State star Will Howard, who the Steelers selected late in the draft.

Look, even if Rodgers had already put pen to paper with Pittsburgh, it would be highly unlikely he would have attended this week’s OTA, which is voluntary. He didn’t attend mandatory minicamp when he played for the New York Jets last season.

And by the way, we’ve mentioned here that Rodgers had been working out this offseason with Metcalf, who is said to have been a regular at the Steelers’ facility since the team acquired him. Yet he isn’t taking part in this week’s OTA.

This has raised some eyebrows, including those of some players, because despite the voluntary status of the OTA, the Steelers have made a large investment in Metcalf as he is being counted on to be a leader for this team.

Truth is, NFL teams themselves feel the OTAs are of little value to the big picture. In fact, the Steelers are holding just six practices when they are permitted to hold 10. So when teams tell players they don’t matter, the players don’t attend. And Metcalf, who has been a regular at the Steelers’ facility, doesn’t have to answer reporters’ questions about his workouts with Rodgers.

See? The Steelers can play at this game as well.

We mentioned here a couple of weeks ago that Steelers fans in Pittsburgh seem to favor Rodgers as the starting quarterback. Steelers fans here two hours away say the Steelers should want nothing to do with him, because that’s not how the Steelers do things.

Despite the need of some for revisionist history, Hall of Famer Terry Bradshaw remains the only quarterback to win four Super Bowl championships as the Steelers starting quarterback. It’s true, you can look it up …

Bradshaw, apparently, is with the camp that believes signing Rodgers would be the definitive non-Steelers thing to do.

“That’s a joke,” he said when asked about the possibility. “That to me is just a joke. What are you gonna do? Bring him in for one year, are you kidding me?

“That guy needs to stay in California. Go somewhere and chew on bark and whisper to the gods out there.”

Wonder how he feels about Kirk Cousins?

Mike Burke writes about sports and other stuff for Allegany Communications. He began covering sports for the Prince George’s Sentinel in 1981 and joined the Cumberland Times-News sports staff in 1984, serving as sports editor for over 30 years. Contact him at [email protected]. Follow him on X @MikeBurkeMDT