Aaron Rodgers has kept the Pittsburgh Steelers and the NFL waiting as he contemplates his future, but one person who knows more than most about the quarterback believes a resolution could be coming in the near future.
Ian O’Connor, an author who published a book about Rodgers in 2024 called “Out of the Darkness: The Mystery of Aaron Rodgers,” shared some of his thoughts on the situation during an interview with 93.7 The Fan in Pittsburgh on Friday. O’Connor said he still believes Rodgers will sign with the Steelers.
While O’Connor admitted he has not kept close tabs on Rodgers the way he did when he was writing his book, he did offer up some information he gathered from people close to the former NFL MVP.
“Talking to a couple other people close to Aaron, I think I have a sense of what it might be. I’m not comfortable repeating it right now, but I don’t think it would prevent him from playing football with the Steelers,” O’Connor said, as transcribed by Ross McCorkle of Steelers Depot. “I just think verbally, behind the scenes, not that he guaranteed it, but he’s told (the Steelers), ‘Listen, I’m gonna play for you. I just don’t want to go there and then miss part of mandatory minicamp because of my personal issues. I’m pretty sure they’re gonna be solved by the end of May, at least in my satisfaction where I can give you my all.’ So that’s where I think he is.”
Mandatory minicamp begins for the Steelers on June 10, so O’Connor may have been referring more to the voluntary portion of the offseason calendar. Still, the theory would make sense given how big of a deal it became when Rodgers missed minicamp with the New York Jets a year ago.
Rodgers was previously estranged from members of his family, and O’Connor shed some light on why in his book. The author said Rodgers has reestablished a relationship with his family, though little is known about the personal issues the 41-year-old alluded to last month.
The Steelers still want to sign Rodgers. It is entirely possible that he has given them some sort of assurance that he fully intends to play for them.
