Recently signed Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Brandin Echols previously shared a locker room with quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wasn’t shy about recruiting Rodgers to join him in Pittsburgh.
With Rodgers seemingly waiting to hear back from the Minnesota Vikings, longtime Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward went a different route while speaking about the future Hall of Fame signal-caller on the latest edition of his “Not Just Football” podcast.
“I ain’t doing that darkness retreat,” Heyward said while speaking about Rodgers’ uncertain future, as shared by Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “I don’t need any of that crap. Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t. It’s that simple. 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.”
Heyward was referring to how Rodgers entered a much-publicized darkness retreat following the 2022 season “90 percent retired and 10 percent playing” before he decided he wanted to be traded from the Green Bay Packers to the New York Jets. Rodgers ultimately missed just about all of his first campaign with the Jets after he suffered a torn Achilles four offensive snaps into his Gang Green regular-season debut, and it was reported last March that then-presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was considering naming Rodgers his running mate.
Rodgers eventually made 17 starts for the 2024 Jets but struggled through numerous injury issues as the club won just five games. It remains somewhat unclear how much his weekly appearances on “The Pat McAfee Show” and the fact he skipped New York’s two-day mandatory minicamp because of a pre-planned trip to Egypt last June impacted the team’s decision to go in a different direction this offseason.
Reports have indicated the Steelers and New York Giants are ready to sign Rodgers, but he has hinted via his actions and silence that he wants to join a Vikings side that went 14-3 with Sam Darnold in the lineup this past season. It’s unknown if Minnesota would rather start Rodgers or 2024 first-round draft pick J.J. McCarthy after McCarthy spent his rookie campaign recovering from a full meniscus repair.
“I just want to play football,” Heyward added. “I’m tired of talking about the quarterback situation. I’d rather have it done. I don’t know what ends up happening. I’m ready to move on into free agency. There’s too much going on.”
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Monday night that Rodgers may not sign with a team until right before the 2025 NFL Draft, which gets underway on April 24. It sounds like Heyward would prefer for the Steelers to go in a different direction if Rodgers intends to remain a free agent through the Easter holiday.
