The NFL Draft is less than a week away, but the Pittsburgh Steelers still don’t know what’s going to happen with their quarterback room. Aaron Rodgers has not made his decision public yet, and even some of the new players are unsure if they’ll be able to play with the veteran.
Michael Pittman Jr. Uncertain About Aaron Rodgers’ Return to the Steelers
Pittman, who recently joined the Steelers via trade, will be part of a wide receiver group led by DK Metcalf. His final year with the Indianapolis Colts was a mixed bag: the Colts had a great year out of Daniel Jones as their quarterback, but Pittman had his fewest yards (784) since 2020.
A move to the Steelers, who were desperate for a No. 2 receiver, seemed perfect at first glance. However, with the possibility of Rodgers’ retirement and a weak quarterback class in the 2026 NFL Draft, Pittman’s potential for the upcoming season is still unknown.
Speaking to Ratings.org in a recent interview, the receiver, who ranked as No. 50 in our PFSN WR Impact Metric with a 74.4 grade, revealed that, like the outside world, he still doesn’t know if Rodgers will be on the field when the 2026 season starts.
“We’re just waiting to hear from old man Rodgers and see what his plan is,” Pittman said while smiling. “If he’s going to come back, then that’s going to be great. And if not, then we got two guys that we believe in and we’re going to roll.”
He also mentioned that he’s happy with the current group of receivers for Pittsburgh, which will be led by Metcalf and has other options such as Roman Wilson and Ben Skowronek.
“We have a really great base group of guys. Obviously, everybody knows DK, and then me coming here, but we have a lot of guys that are also in that room, Roman (Wilson), you got Ben (Skowronek) too. There’s so many weapons, and there’s so many great players, even our tight ends and everything.”
Finally, he explained his personal goals for the 2026 season, his first in the NFL away from the Colts:
BE AN NFL GM: PFSN’s Ultimate GM Simulator
“I don’t really set statistical goals, because I feel like that limits your mindset. I just show up each and every day, and I have my daily targets that help me reach the broader goal, which is obviously division champion, and then conference champion, and then Super Bowl.”
The Steelers will look to defend their AFC North title and improve their playoff fortunes. Pittsburgh made the playoffs in five of the past six seasons, but its last postseason win happened in January 2017. Rodgers’ return will go a long way in helping head coach Mike McCarthy’s team get over the hump.
