20-year veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers is still on the free agent market after being released by the New York Jets earlier this offseason. He has been heavily linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but a deal has yet to be reached.
The 2025 NFL Draft is getting closer each day, and the list of quarterback-needy teams continues to shrink. NFL Insider Ian Rapoport recently discussed the “unique challenge” of covering the Rodgers saga.
What Are The Difficulties of Covering The Aaron Rodgers Saga?
The free agent quarterback market was not overly strong this year. Sam Darnold landed the biggest contract of the group, making him the 17th-highest-paid signal-caller in the NFL.
Justin Fields, Daniel Jones, and Russell Wilson also signed new contracts, but none are long-term options. Rodgers is not a long-term option either, but it’s fair to say he’s as good or better than those three. So why is he still on the market, and how can facts be separated from gossip?
Rapoport recently went on “Good Morning Football” and was asked how covering the Rodgers saga has differed from other free agent stories.
.@RapSheet pulls back the curtain on what it's like covering the story of @AaronRodgers12 👀👇 pic.twitter.com/aodPIGo4YT
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) April 7, 2025
Rapoport said, “With Rodgers, you never quite know. There are plenty of things I think I know. Plenty of things I’ll hear from sources close to the situation or people who claim they know, ‘Hey, Rodgers is definitely leaning here, or he’s gonna make a decision here.’ There are people who were reporting he was going to make a decision Wednesday about free agency. That did not happen.”
“I think one thing you have to be careful of is assuming you know what’s in his mind. I would say the same thing about Rodgers as you used to say with Bill Belichick—somewhat similar situation. People who claim to know what they are thinking should really question that source. There’s not a lot of people they talk to.”
Rodgers’ former teammate, Greg Jennings, thought he knew what the quarterback was thinking when he recently claimed a decision wouldn’t be made before the draft. That’s held so far, but how close are Rodgers and Jennings now?
“People they do talk to don’t necessarily talk to people like me, and if they do, they want to make sure what they say doesn’t get reported.” Rapoport continued, “So really, what you have to do is lean on facts. Facts, which is Rodgers visited the Steelers. Facts, which is, the Steelers have come out and said that it was a very positive visit. My sources said it was a positive visit as well.
“Facts: Rodgers now chooses the Steelers or chooses to retire. Lean on the real things rather than the gossip because too often the gossip is going to be wrong.”
Rodgers is coming off one of his worst statistical seasons, throwing for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions in 2024. He’s an enigma at this stage of his career, seemingly wanting teams to operate on his terms rather than conform to the organization. Signs are still pointing to Rodgers signing with Pittsburgh, but speculation will continue until he does.