Steelers May Be Trying to Make Aaron Rodgers Mad

The Pittsburgh Steelers' decision to place the UFA tender on Aaron Rodgers raised some eyebrows around the NFL as the saga between the two parties continues to drag on.

Pro Football Talk's Mike Florio, who had previously insinuated that Rodgers was not thrilled about the organization openly discussing his free agency, came back around and shared his belief that the 42-year-old is not fond of the tender being placed on him, which might have been the Steelers' intent as a means of giving them a way out of the situation.

"No one seems to know why the Pittsburgh Steelers applied the seldom-used unrestricted free agency tender on quarterback Aaron Rodgers," Florio said. "The Steelers may not even know why they did it, but I know this: Rodgers won't like it. Because it's a collective bargaining agreement chess move. It's the Steelers taking advantage of one of the rules that are available to them to better position themselves for compensatory draft pick consideration.

"That's not how Rodgers and the Steelers have done business. It's all handshakes. It's a below market contract. He'll perceive that they're playing games with him. So here's the question: do they want him to perceive that? Is this their way to get off the Aaron Rodgers ride? To get him to say, 'I'm coming back,' without them having to say, 'We're really not interested in continuing this,' because I continue to believe, truth be told, new coach Mike McCarthy would prefer to move on without his former Packers quarterback."

The Steelers may have pissed Aaron Rodgers off by applying the UFA tender. Was that the goal? pic.twitter.com/O8AdsrsaKw
— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) April 29, 2026

Could Steelers Actually Move on from Rodgers?

The longer Rodgers goes unsigned, the more doubt settles in regarding his plans for the 2026 campaign.

Though last offseason played out in a strikingly similar fashion, there appeared to be more of an understanding as to why Rodgers' timeline to officially sign with the Steelers was extended.

Rodgers should remain the favorite to start at quarterback in Week 1 for Pittsburgh regardless, but its decision to use the UFA tender came out of left field.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) looks on after being sacked during the first half of the NFL Wild Card game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, PA on January 12, 2026. | Michael Longo/For USA Today Network-PA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The organization certainly let him know ahead of time that they'd be using it, and it's likely just a means of ensuring that they'd be eligible to net a comp pick should he sign elsewhere, but it's a whole new wrinkle in a situation that still appears no closer to a resolution.

Rodgers remains the Steelers' highest-floor option under center for this upcoming season, and there's been no indication that they intend on cutting off talks with him just yet, but perhaps it's on the table if he remains wishy-washy on the idea of playing for the team once again.

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