Steelers seem worried Aaron Rodgers could sign with another team: Possible landing spots for the four-time MVP

The Aaron Rodgers situation took a big twist when the Pittsburgh Steelers made a rare move by placing an unrestricted free agent tender on the 42-year-old quarterback. If you've never heard of the UFA tender, don't worry, you're not alone: This is a seldom-used strategy that has only been utilized six times around the NFL over the past 10 years. 

The Steelers hope Rodgers wants to return for another season in Pittsburgh, but he hasn't made a decision yet. With his status still up in the air, Steelers owner Art Rooney II went on NFL Network to explain why his team took the rare step of using the UFA tender. 

Why the Steelers made the move

There are two big benefits that come with using the tender. Firstly, the Steelers will likely get an extra 2027 draft pick under the compensatory formula if they lose Rodgers. That was the driving factor, according to Rooney.

"The main thing that the tender gives us is the potential for a comp pick if Aaron would choose to go to another team," Rooney said. "We don't expect that, but by the same token, you never know. It's just something we had an opportunity to protect if needed." 

The reason the Steelers waited until this week to make the move is that they had to beat the NFL's deadline for using the tender. During free agency, if you lose an unrestricted free agent to another team, that loss counts in the compensatory formula, which allows you to earn extra picks in the next draft. However, as of Monday (April 27) at 4 p.m. ET, losing a free agent no longer counts in the comp pick formula UNLESS you use the unrestricted free agent tender. 

"The deadline was Monday, so if we were going to do it we had to pull the trigger on Monday," Rooney said. "We alerted Aaron and his representative that we were going to do it, and so not a real big deal. Just something that in the unlikely event he goes somewhere else, we are eligible for a comp pick."

Not only will the Steelers get a comp pick if they lose Rodgers, but there's also another benefit for Pittsburgh: Rodgers isn't allowed to negotiate with any other team after July 22.

After that date, if Rodgers is still unsigned, the Steelers are the only team he can sign with, and the exclusive negotiation window would run from July 22 through Week 10. During that period, if Rodgers didn't sign by Week 10, he wouldn't be allowed to play in 2027. 

That part of the tender means that Rodgers can't wait around to see if another quarterback goes down with an injury in training camp or early in the season. Once July 22 hits, an unsigned Rodgers would have to play for the Steelers or play for no one. 

The most interesting part of this entire situation is that you wouldn't use the tender unless you were at least slightly worried that Rodgers might sign somewhere else. As Rooney said, the Steelers aren't expecting Rodgers to leave for another team, but "you never know."

Of course, if Rodgers did want to sign somewhere else, the big question becomes: Is there even a team out there that needs him? 

Possible landing spot that makes the most sense: Arizona Cardinals

Looking around the NFL, there aren't too many teams in need of a starting quarterback at this point, but there's definitely one intriguing option: The Arizona Cardinals. 

At this point, their QB situation is still up in the air. Going into April, Jacoby Brissett appeared to have the inside track, but he's skipping the team's voluntary workouts because he wants to be paid like a starter. Instead of giving Brissett more money, the Cardinals could simply call Rodgers and offer that money to him. 

The Cards also have Gardner Minshew, and they just drafted Carson Beck, but it seems unlikely that either one of those guys would be their Week 1 starter. Minshew, who's only under contract through the 2026 season, was brought in to serve as the backup this year, so his role wouldn't change if Rodgers were signed. As for Beck, the 2027 third-round pick would probably be thrilled to learn behind the four-time MVP for a season. 

Now, here's where things get even more interesting. The Cardinals just hired a new offensive coordinator this year in Nathaniel Hackett, who just happens to be best friends with Rodgers. When the QB signed with the Jets in 2023, he essentially brought Hackett with him to New York. The two have a relationship that dates back to their time in Green Bay.  Hackett was the offensive coordinator for three seasons with the Packers (2019-21), and Rodgers just happened to win two MVP awards in that span. 

And let's not forget that the Cardinals are now coached by Mike LaFleur, the brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur, who coached Rodgers for four seasons in Green Bay. Basically, the Cardinals have a coaching staff that Rodgers would probably find enticing. In Pittsburgh, he would be reuniting with Mike McCarthy, but those two ended things on a sour note in Green Bay. They buried the hatchet since then, but if Rodgers has his choice, he might prefer to join Hackett in Arizona. 

Keep in mind that the Cardinals actually have some offensive weapons. Not only do they have one of the top tight ends in the NFL in Trey McBride, but they also have a solid receiving group AND they just spent the third overall pick on Jeremiyah Love. 

The Cardinals do play in a tough division, and they went 3-14 last year, but they were competitive despite below-average QB play. The Cards lost seven games by four points or less, including a stretch in Week 3 where they became just the third team in NFL history to lose five straight games by four points or less. During that same span, the Cards became the first team in NFL history to lose three straight games on the final play. 

This team had the talent to compete; they just couldn't get over the hump last year. If the Cardinals were to give Rodgers a call, you'd have to think that he would listen. 

Wildcard landing spot: Denver Broncos

Our second possible landing spot for Rodgers is Denver. Yes, the Broncos already have a starting quarterback, but right now there's no guarantee Bo Nix will be healthy when the season starts. The Broncos QB broke his ankle in a playoff game against the Bills on Jan. 17 and underwent surgery two days later. 

Broncos coach Sean Payton said Nix was doing just fine and just underwent a scheduled check-up with his doctor. 

"It was a scheduled re-check," Payton said on April 25. "We're excited about his progress. Nothing to report. These guys will be coming in here. He's here."

Nothing to report, you say? What Payton didn't mention is that Nix actually had another procedure done. It was an "anticipated follow-up clean-up procedure on his ankle," according to NFL Network. However, if the procedure had been "anticipated," you'd think Payton would have shared that news rather than downplaying the check-up in his press conference. 

Based on everything that's being said about the ankle, it seems pretty clear that it's not healing as quickly as hoped. 

Back in January, Nix told the reporters his recovery was expected to be four to six weeks, but it's now 12 weeks later, and not only is he still not recovered, but he just had another procedure. 

Broncos general manager George Paton said at the NFL Annual League Meeting on March 30 that Nix would be "ready by OTAs," but now, the message has changed with NFL Network reporting that he's "firmly on track to be ready for the start of training camp."

Nix was scheduled to serve as a guest coach at Oregon's spring game on April 25, but he had to back out. We don't know for sure that his reason for backing out is connected to the ankle, but the timing is certainly interesting. 

What this all means is that it certainly feels possible that Nix's recovery might take longer than anticipated, and if that's the case, the Broncos might be in the market for a veteran quarterback. This team made it to the AFC title game last season, and they have nearly every starter back, so they're certainly a Super Bowl contender. Right now, if Nix were to miss the time, the backup is Jarrett Stidham , and if the AFC title game was any indication -- Stidham went 17 of 33 for 133 yards against the Patriots -- the Broncos probably need to look elsewhere for a quarterback, and that's where Rodgers would come in. 

On one hand, Rodgers might like this option because it would give him a strong chance to win a second Super Bowl ring. On the other hand, it's unclear whether Rodgers would want to play for Payton. 

Rodgers was irate with the Broncos' coach back in 2023 after Payton took a verbal cheap shot at Hackett, who was fired as Denver's coach in December 2022. 

During an interview in 2023, Payton said Hackett's time in Denver was "one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL." At the time, Rodgers was with the Jets, and Hackett was his offensive coordinator in New York. 

 "I think it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coaches' names out of his mouth," Rodgers said in response to Payton's comments. 

Rodgers seems to have put the comments behind him, so he might be willing to pick up the phone if Payton calls. Not only are the Broncos a Super Bowl contender, but they face the Steelers and Jets this year, so he'd get to face two of his three previous teams. 

Other possible landing spots (But none make sense)

If you look around the NFL, there are probably only five other teams where you could make a case that they might be interested in Rodgers, but none of them really make sense. 

• Vikings. The Vikings were eyeing Rodgers last year, so Kevin O'Connell might be intrigued by the idea of making another run at him. However, Minnesota did add Kyler Murray in March, which would seem to close the door on any thoughts of going after Rodgers. 
• Falcons. With Kevin Stefanski heading into his first season in Atlanta, it's possible he would prefer to go into the season with a long-time veteran like Rodgers. Of course, the problem here is that the Falcons already have Michael Penix Jr. and they just signed Tua Tagovailoa, so this pairing seems unlikely. 
• Jets. The Jets just traded for Geno Smith and it seems like he's going to be the starter this year. That said, even if the Jets wanted to sign Rodgers, he probably wouldn't answer their phone calls after the way his two-year stint in New York ended. 
• Browns. The Browns already have four quarterbacks on their roster and it's hard to see them adding another one, but Rodgers would arguably be an upgrade over anyone they have. Right now, Deshaun Watson reportedly has the inside track to win the starting job and with $46 million tied up in him, it seems unlikely they'd bring in Rodgers to compete. 

One thing the Falcons and Vikings have in common is that they each have a quarterback -- Tua and Murray -- who signed for the veteran minimum this year, so they don't have a lot of money tied up in the QB position. The Falcons have a 2026 cap hit of just $10.6 million at quarterback while Minnesota is at $11.3 million. Those are low numbers and both teams could justify using some cap space on Rodgers, but it still seems highly unlikely. 

For Rodgers, it seems like it's going to be Pittsburgh, Arizona, Denver or retirement

Timeline for Rodgers' decision

No one seems to have any idea. Back in March, Rooney said he expected to hear a decision by the time the draft rolled around, but that didn't happen. 

Last year, Rodgers didn't sign with the Steelers until mandatory minicamp in June, and it sounds like Rooney expects him to be on the same timeline.

"Even though I thought it probably would have been concluded by now, I think we will come to a conclusion here in the next few weeks," Rooney said Wednesday. 

The Steelers' mandatory minicamp runs from June 2-4, so it will certainly be worth keeping a close eye on that calendar window. As for the Cardinals, their mandatory minicamp runs June 8-10, so if Rodgers ends up in Arizona, that's when he'd likely make his first appearance.