Aaron Rodgers is still a free agent, and he has only one clear suitor

On multiple occasions in recent months, Aaron Rodgers pointed out that he will be a free agent in 2026. Four days into the process, he still is.

Near the end of the 2025 regular season, he expressed confidence that he’ll have options if he decides to play another year.

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“Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent,” Rodgers said at the time. “So that’ll give me a lot of options if I still want to play. [Not] a lot of options, but there’ll be options I would think, maybe one or two, if I decide I still want to play.”

It’s getting harder to identify those options, as quarterback-needy teams address their needs. The Dolphins signed Malik Willis. The Colts re-signed Daniel Jones. The Falcons reportedly will sign Tua Tagovailoa. The Vikings are focused on Kyler Murray. The Raiders, who weren’t interested in Rodgers last year, seem to be poised to make Fernando Mendoza the No. 1 overall pick.

The only obvious remaining option, other than Pittsburgh, is Arizona. Nathaniel Hackett, one of Rodgers’s trust-tree coaches, is the offensive coordinator. Mike LaFleur, the Rams’ offensive coordinator a year ago when Rodgers was Plan B if Matthew Stafford was traded, is the head coach. But the Cardinals are caught in the basement of one of the best divisions in football; it would be a steep uphill climb for Rodgers to cap his career with a playoff berth.

That leaves Pittsburgh as the only viable option. And Pittsburgh seems to be waiting for him, even if (as Rodgers said last week) there have been no “progressive conversations” about another run.

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As Cam Heyward put it last year, you either want to be a Steeler or you don’t.

Meanwhile, the Steelers’ potential alternatives are landing elsewhere. Of the remaining possibilities, Kirk Cousins would make the most sense for Pittsburgh.

The lack of suitors for Rodgers makes Pittsburgh’s apparent willingness to wait even more confounding for Steelers fans who wonder whether their favorite team is content to watch potentially better options go elsewhere while showing patience for someone who has yet to decide that he’s willing to run it back without Mike Tomlin.

The situation seems to require more urgency from the Steelers. They surely need a veteran, if they decide to let Will Howard show what he can do. Maybe they’ll bring back Justin Fields if/when the Jets cut him. Maybe they’ll sign the best available option (like Joe Flacco) if/when Rodgers tells them he’s not coming back.

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Regardless, Steelers fans who were dismayed by the team’s willingness to wait and wait and wait for Rodgers in 2025 are feeling that same angst all over again. This isn’t Rodgers in his prime. This is a 42-year-old veteran who seems to be trying to recapture a little of the glory of MVP seasons gone by.

Wherever it goes from here, it won’t be easy for the Steelers to end a drought of playoff wins that, as of this year, could hit double digits.