Did Steelers Tip Aaron Rodgers Decision With First-Round Pick?

What the Pittsburgh Steelers did with their first-round pick Thursday night in the NFL draft said a lot.

The Steelers were in need of a quarterback when they get on the clock at No. 21 overall, but passed on both Shedeur Sanders, who had been heavily linked to Pittsburgh, and Jaxson Dart to draft Oregon defensive tackle Derrick Harmon.

But there might have been a reason why the Steelers didn’t use their top selection on a quarterback. They continue to wait on a decision from Aaron Rodgers and perhaps Rodgers finally gave the franchise the answer it wanted.

“I’m told the Steelers communicated with Aaron Rodgers at the beginning of the week that they would like to receive an answer from him before the draft (at least 48 hours), per league source,” NFL insider Josina Anderson wrote on X. “Steelers know the outcome of that conversation.”

If Rodgers actually is on board with joining the Steelers, Pittsburgh has its starting quarterback for next season. But the Steelers have been adamant that Rodgers being on the roster wouldn’t stop them from adding another quarterback.

Pittsburgh has more options in the draft — Sanders, Tyler Shough and Jalen Milroe are all still available — but it doesn’t have a second-round pick. Pittsburgh won’t be on the clock again until the 19th pick in the third round.

That might force the Steelers to try to move up if they really want to draft their preferred quarterback.