Rodgers meets with Steelers and leaves without signing

Aaron Rodgers might still want to play football. He might even do it in Pittsburgh. The four-time NFL MVP met with the Steelers on Friday, a person with knowledge of the visit told The Associated Press. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the meeting was not made public. Rodgers spent several hours in the team's facility gathering information but left without signing a contract. Pittsburgh currently has an opening at quarterback. Justin Fields, who along with Russell Wilson led the Steelers to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth last season, signed with the Jets last week. Wilson is a free agent but does not appear to be part of Pittsburgh's plans for 2025. The Steelers signed veteran backup Mason Rudolph to a two-year deal earlier this week but still have plenty of room on the roster for another arm or two. The 41-year-old Rodgers appears to be in no rush to make a decision. He's spent time in California recently trying to figure out if he wanted to come back for a 21st season. Rodgers' methodical approach didn't sit well with longtime Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward. The four-time All-Pro expressed frustration on his podcast earlier this week. "Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don't, it's that simple," Heyward said. "That's the pitch. If you want me to recruit, that's the recruiting pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers. If you want to be part of it, so be it. If you don't, no skin off my back." Rodgers could be looking to end his career on a more upbeat note following two turbulent seasons in New York. A torn left Achilles tendon a handful of snaps into his first game with the Jets in 2023 ended his season. He returned last fall at 40 and threw 28 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions but also courted off-the-field drama regularly as the Jets went 5-12. Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin has long admired Rodgers, who led the Green Bay Packers to a victory over Tomlin and the Steelers in the Super Bowl following the 2010 season. The two have had a handful of memorable in-game interactions since, including last fall when they tipped their metaphorical caps to each other when Tomlin managed to call timeout before Rodgers could catch Pittsburgh with 12 men on the field during a Steelers blowout of the Jets. Pittsburgh is trying to emerge from a decade of being pretty good, but never great while stringing together winning season after winning season followed by quick playoff exits. The Steelers' quarterback room has had a revolving door since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season. Whoever gets the start in Week 1 in September will be the team's fifth starting quarterback in an opener in as many years, following Roethlisberger, Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett and Fields. A year after the Steelers signed Wilson on the cheap after his unceremonious exit from Denver, they could be taking another flyer on a player with a Hall of Fame resume but plenty of baggage. Rodgers was traded to the Jets in April 2023 after 18 seasons with the Packers — looking to help the franchise end a Super Bowl drought that dates to the glory days of Joe Namath and the 1968 season. Rodgers finished his Jets tenure with six wins — including the victory during which he was injured — in 18 starts. His 28 touchdown passes and 3,897 yards passing last year both rank third for a single season in franchise history. But he lacked some mobility early in his return and then dealt with a few additional leg injuries, including a hamstring ailment that hobbled him. If Rodgers chooses Pittsburgh, he could be playing behind an offensive line that had trouble protecting Wilson late in the 2024 season as the Steelers dropped their final five games, including a blowout loss to Baltimore in the opening round of the playoffs. Whoever the quarterback is will not lack for weapons. The Steelers traded for two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf and signed him to a five-year contract. George Pickens is one of the more talented pass catchers in the league, though he also has made headlines for petulant behavior both on the field and with the media, and his future in Pittsburgh is uncertain as he enters the final year of his rookie deal. Throw in steady tight end Pat Freiermuth and the running back tandem of Jaylen Warren and newly signed Kenneth Gainwell, and the Steelers have some intriguing pieces and a sense of urgency with Heyward in the twilight of his career and outside linebacker T.J. Watt on the back end of his prime. Rodgers' prime is long gone. Yet with the 21st pick in a draft light on quarterback talent and with not much available on the open market, the Steelers could decide Rodgers has enough left to keep them competitive while the franchise looks to 2026 for stability at the most important position on the field. ____ AP Pro Football Writer Dennis Waszak Jr. contributed to this report. ____ AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL