Pittsburgh Steelers star Michael Pittman Jr. believes Aaron Rodgers does want to keep playing at the age of 42 – despite lingering uncertainty over the quarterback’s retirement plans.
Rodgers, a four-time MVP, has yet to tell new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy whether he will return for a second season in Pittsburgh – and the 22nd year of a remarkable career.
The polarizing quarterback is now teammates with Pittman Jr., who was recently traded to Pittsburgh after six seasons with the Indianapolis Colts.
The receiver revealed on Wednesday that he saw Rodgers recently and – though they didn’t discuss the quarterback’s future – Pittman said he believes Rodgers is not ready to retire.
‘I think he wants to play,’ he said. ‘But I don’t really know – I mean, Aaron is a mysterious guy, right?
‘So he’s going to do whatever he thinks is right and, and if that’s coming back and playing, then that’s great. And if it’s not, we have two other guys [Will Howard and Mason Rudolph]… who are ready to hop in there.’
The Pittsburgh Steelers have still not heard from Aaron Rodgers about his future plans
‘I think he wants to play,’ said wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., Rodgers’ new teammate
Alabama star Ty Simpson is among the quarterbacks linked with the Steelers before the draft
Pittman continued: ‘I’ve worked out with him in the past and then I saw him about a month and a half ago. We didn’t really talk football. We were just chilling. I didn’t want to put extra pressure on him, and I don’t honestly think I could convince him either way – so we didn’t really talk ball.’
Last season, Rodgers led the Steelers to the playoffs, where they suffered another loss in the wild card round. The 42-year-old’s refusal to confirm his future plans has sparked some uncertainty over how the Steelers will approach the NFL draft, which kicks off in Pittsburgh on Thursday.
Pittman was speaking at a Toyota flag football event for local girls alongside ex-Alabama star Ty Simpson, who is one of the quarterbacks linked with the Steelers.
Pittsburgh holds the 21st pick and Simpson said it would be a ‘blessing’ to be teammates with Rodgers and ‘pick his mind… [given] how talented he is, how good of a person he is – I’ve heard nothing but great things about Aaron.’
The NFL prospect added: ‘A Super Bowl champion, one who changed the game with quarterback play. So if I was in a room with him, I feel like that, it would only help me.’
Back in March, before the start of free agency, Rodgers revealed there was no deadline for him to decide his future and indicated that he was in no rush to do so.
‘Free agency starts in a week,’ Rodgers told friend Pat McAfee about his current situation. ‘I’ve talked to Mike, I’ve talked to [Steelers general manager] Omar [Khan]. There’s been no deadline that’s been put in front of me.
‘There’s no contract offer or anything,’ he continued. ‘So there’s nothing I’m having to debate between. I’m a free agent. Again, I’m enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the offseason. I think there’s conversations to be had down the line.’
