Aaron Rodgers decision: Steelers owner reveals when fans will get an answer

Owner Art Rooney II has navigated plenty of turbulent moments in his time. This one, with a new head coach and uncertainty about whether Rodgers will retire, ranks among the more unsettled.

The Steelers owner says he fully expects Rodgers to make his intentions clear before Pittsburgh hosts the 2026 NFL Draft on April 23.

"I still expect that," Rooney told Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I expect we'll get an answer before the draft."

Joe Sargent / Stringer

Last year, the 42-year-old kept everyone waiting a long time. So long, in fact that the Steelers had almost no room to manoeuvre.

This time, Rooney says Rodgers personally told him and GM Omar Khan that things would move faster.

"When I talked to him, and Omar talked to him, he told us he wasn't going to take as long this year as he did last year. I'm not 100% sure what that means, but I expect something before the draft."

Most people around the league expect the four-time MVP back. The pull of reuniting with Mike McCarthy, his old head coach in Green Bay, is hard to ignore. Rodgers himself has made little secret of his admiration.

"I love Mike, and Mike and I have kept some contact over the years," Rodgers said, calling him "one of the great guys in the league" and "an exceptional human being with a big heart."

Last season was proof that the roster has genuine quality. Rodgers kept the turnovers low, the wins came, and the AFC North title followed.

The Wild Card exit to Houston was a gut punch, but with a handful of major additions like wideout Michael Pittman Jr. and Jamel Dean arriving in free agency, nobody's doubting Pittsburgh's status as a contender.

They just need a quarterback - and soon.