Michael David SmithWed, April 29, 2026 at 11:36 PM UTC·1 min readSteelers owner Art Rooney II said a month ago that he expected to know whether Aaron Rodgers would play in Pittsburgh this season before the draft. That didn't happen, but Rooney still thinks he'll know soon.

Rooney said on NFL Network that the lines of communication remain open with Rodgers, and his decision is coming soon.

"We've been in contact with Aaron on a regular basis," Rooney said. "He's been keeping us up to date on his plans. Even though I thought we'd have concluded by now, I think we will come to a conclusion here in the next few weeks."

Rooney said the recent decision to apply an unrestricted free agent tender to Rodgers was simply a matter of protecting the Steelers' ability to get a compensatory pick if Rodgers signs with another team — which the Steelers are not expecting.

"The main thing the tender gives us is the potential for a comp pick if Aaron would choose to go to another team. We don't expect that, but by the same token you never know. It was just something we had an opportunity to protect if needed," Rooney said. "Not a real big deal, but just something that if, in the unlikely event he goes somewhere else, we are eligible for a comp pick in that situation."

The big deal for the Steelers is finding out whether or not Rodgers will be their quarterback this season. That's something Rooney thinks he'll know soon.