The Pittsburgh Steelers’ voluntary minicamp is underway, but their starting quarterback is nowhere to be seen. With almost the team present, including QBs Will Howard and Mason Rudolph, Aaron Rodgers’ absence is being felt.

Insider for NFL Network Ian Rapoport revealed that Rodgers has yet to confirm whether he will be returning with the Steelers for the 2026 season or not.

"The #Steelers have not received word from Aaron Rodgers on his future and there is no expectation of a final decision prior to the NFL Draft, per me and @TomPelissero," Rapoport reported Monday.

During the pre-draft press conference, Steelers GM Omar Khan seemed unruffled by Rodgers’ lack of confirmation.

“Nothing’s changed, but it’s all been positive and good. He knows how we feel about him, and we know how he feels about us,” Khan said, confirming that they had communicated with the veteran QB.

This is not the first time Aaron Rodgers has kept Pittsburgh hanging.

In 2025, he stalled till June before signing, citing personal reasons. Moreover, Steelers owner Art Rooney told reporters on March 31 that he expected an answer by the draft.

Now that the deadline seems to have shifted again, it is uncertain when there will be a confirmation regarding Rodgers’ decision and the Steelers’ roster.

So, since there is no certain answer from Rodgers, the Steelers have no choice but to be ready for whatever may come.

"When minicamp begins today under new coach Mike McCarthy, Will Howard will be QB1," Rapoport added.

Currently, the Steelers have only two QBs on their roster. However, without Aaron Rodgers’ confirmation and coach Mike McCarthy’s enthusiasm for training talented players, they might have to recruit new QBs as well.

Steelers gear up to draft talented rookies

In the upcoming NFL draft, Pittsburgh has twelve overall picks. Due to the team’s recent trades, they will likely be focusing on signing a wide receiver, along with a safety and offensive line players.

This season’s draft class is relatively thin at the QB position. Fernando Mendoza and Ty Simpson are the two names generating the most buzz, with Mendoza widely projected as the top QB off the board and Simpson expected to follow in the later rounds.

During Monday’s press conference, Khan addressed the Steelers’ expectations from the draft.

“That doesn’t change our evaluation process,” Khan said. “We’re still putting the guys up where they need to be and we’ll just see how it shakes out.”

He added that having twelve picks gave them a lot of flexibility to find rookies who would fit into their roster.

“We speak on it as being the most important position in football,” McCarthy said. “And I think it’s important to always try to add to it if you can (but) it has to fit.”

McCarthy seemed to be looking forward to recruiting fresh talent and shaping a new generation of formidable players.

What are your thoughts? Let us know in the comments.

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Written by

Arundhoti Patil

Edited by

Shubhi Rathore