Latest news with #ArtRooneyII
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aaron Rodgers signs reported 1-year, $13.65 million contract with Steelers, will wear No. 8 in Pittsburgh
Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers are officially official. The veteran quarterback went to the Steelers' practice facility to sign a one-year deal with the team, the team announced Saturday. The contract is worth $13.65 million, with $10 million guaranteed, per multiple reports. With incentives, which include playing time and team performance, the contract is worth up to $19.5 million. Additionally, the Steelers announced that Rodgers will wear No. 8 on his jersey this season. Rodgers wore the same number during his two-year stint with the New York Jets, but wore No. 12 throughout his 18-year tenure with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers, after a long offseason full of hints, finally ended the speculation earlier this week by agreeing to a one-year deal with Pittsburgh. The four-time NFL MVP will now put on a Steelers uniform as his career winds down, in a signing that left plenty of winners and losers. Advertisement Rodgers' move to Pittsburgh came after two disappointing years with the Jets. As New York went through a coaching and GM change this offseason, Rodgers was informed that the Jets were moving on without him. In the weeks since, Rodgers, who is 41, had been weighing whether to retire or to keep playing. However, despite Rodgers' mixed messages, the Steelers staff seemed optimistic about Rodgers joining in the offseason: Pittsburgh head coach Mike Tomlin called a March visit from Rodgers "productive," while team president Art Rooney II said at spring owners meetings that things were "pointing in that direction" in terms of Rodgers signing with the team. Rodgers joins a Steelers squad that, despite a long streak of winning seasons, is in need of a boost out of general mediocrity. Pittsburgh gained receiver DK Metcalf in a trade this offseason, adding a major target for Rodgers before he'd even committed. Opposite Rodgers will be the Steelers' excellent defense, anchored by star edge rusher T.J. Watt, to boost the team's chances of success. Rodgers' commitment to the Steelers also sets up a handful of exciting matchups in the 2025 season, including an early matchup against the Jets, and another matchup against his other former team, the Packers.
New York Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Aaron Rodgers to sign with Steelers, attend minicamp next week: Sources
Aaron Rodgers has finally picked a new home. After a long public flirtation, the four-time MVP quarterback plans to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, league sources told The Athletic on Thursday, joining his third NFL team. Rodgers is expected to attend mandatory minicamp next week. Rodgers, who spent 18 years with the Green Bay Packers and the past two with the Jets, was released by New York on March 12, hitting free agency for the first time in his career. He spent months on the market before ultimately choosing the Steelers. Advertisement The 41-year-old initially hoped to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, but the team decided not to add him, choosing instead to give 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy every chance to win the starting job. Rodgers visited the Steelers' facility on March 21, leaving without a deal. He also drew interest from the New York Giants, who ultimately signed Russell Wilson, the Steelers' primary starter in 2024. Steelers owner Art Rooney II said at the annual league meeting in early April and then again during the NFL Draft that he felt optimistic the veteran QB would join the team. Speaking in mid-April, Rodgers said he was waiting to make a decision about his NFL future while handling personal matters, adding that he had not ruled out retirement. Rodgers will replace Wilson and Justin Fields, who made six starts in Pittsburgh last season and left to join the Jets in free agency. Rodgers' first game as a Steeler will be against Fields and the Jets at MetLife Stadium. He will also face the Packers for the first time in his career when Green Bay visits Pittsburgh in October. Rodgers will have a new No. 1 weapon in DK Metcalf, who worked out with Rodgers this spring, after the Steelers acquired the wideout from the Seattle Seahawks in a blockbuster trade and later dealt George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. Pittsburgh also brought back quarterback Mason Rudolph on a two-year, $8 million deal and drafted Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round. Coming off perhaps the most disappointing season of his career, Rodgers will play for head coach Mike Tomlin, whom he has often praised and whom he beat for his lone Super Bowl title. Rodgers' Packers topped Tomlin's Steelers 31-25 in Super Bowl XLV in February 2011. Neither has been back to the big stage since, with Rodgers going 7-9 and Tomlin 3-9 in the playoffs over the past 14 seasons. Advertisement The Steelers have been searching for quality quarterback play since Ben Roethlisberger retired in January 2022 — or longer. After Pittsburgh swung and missed on Kenny Pickett in the first round in 2022, the team chose the veteran route in 2024, handing the team to Wilson down the stretch. When that gamble fizzled with a five-game losing streak, the Steelers considered all options. Fields, a younger but less proven option, chose to go elsewhere, leaving the Steelers with a picked-over market and an underwhelming draft class. They once again chose the veteran route, hoping Rodgers can maximize what's left of the team's current window, with an aging defense that will be the NFL's highest-paid for the fourth consecutive year in 2025. Over the past several years, the Steelers have relied on an old-school approach predicated upon defense and the rushing attack. Last year, only three teams ran the ball more frequently than Pittsburgh. And over the past three years, no team has committed a greater chunk of the salary cap to defensive spending. With Rodgers in the fold, there are two ways to look at this situation. First, the Steelers could once again count on their highly compensated defense to prop up a run-heavy offense. In this instance, they'd understand Rodgers' shortcomings but also support him better than the Jets did. The other option is to go all-in on Rodgers, who attempted the second-most passes in the league in 2024. The Steelers could open up their offense more, with Metcalf providing a dynamic weapon, but that appears less likely after the trade of Pickens. Metcalf could be an interesting schematic fit with Rodgers, who has often favored precise route runners over big-play, deep-ball weapons. Rodgers' arrival also puts more pressure on the Steelers' remade offensive line, which includes 2023 and 2024 first-round picks at tackle in Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu and 2024 second-round center Zach Frazier. Jones allowed the second-most sacks in the league in 2024 and now will have to flip from right to left tackle to protect Rodgers' blind side. Among QBs with at least 300 passing attempts, Rodgers was the NFL's worst quarterback (minus-0.20 EPA per dropback) against the blitz last season. Advertisement The Steelers entered free agency with an estimated $60.1 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap. They were down to about $34 million before a Rodgers deal. Rodgers said previously he would play for $10 million per year, so that could leave the Steelers with some wiggle room for other deals if they need it. Pittsburgh, which might want to push all its chips into the middle with a 41-year-old QB behind center, can create some more cap space with a variety of moves. The most logical way would be to extend outside linebacker T.J. Watt, who is entering the final year of his contract, although the edge rusher market has spiked this offseason. The Steelers have repeatedly counted on their expensive defense and a run-heavy attack to prop up an aging quarterback. They'll be taking that gamble again. If it works, maybe Rodgers can be the quarterback who snaps Tomlin's eight-year postseason winless drought. If it doesn't, the Steelers will probably linger around .500 once again before ending their season in early January, as they've done so often in the recent past. One way or another, considering the risks and Rodgers' age, the Steelers will likely be looking for their long-term future in the 2026 draft.
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Aaron Rodgers reveals what's delayed decision; Steelers owner won't wait forever
The Pittsburgh Steelers don't want to wait around forever for Aaron Rodgers to make a decision. So, just how long will they wait? 'A little while longer,' owner Art Rooney II told reporters on Thursday, via ESPN's Jeremy Fowler. Advertisement Rodgers has been linked to the Steelers for months. The two sides met in March, but left without a deal in place. The 41-year-old spent the last two seasons with the New York Jets. Year 1 was lost due to a torn Achilles Rodgers suffered on the opening drive in Week 1, and Year 2 left much to be desired as New York finished 5-12. Rodgers told 'The Pat McAfee Show' in April that he was dealing with personal things that needed his attention more than football. He elaborated a bit more when he appeared on 'The Joe Rogan Experience' that people he's 'been in the weeds with' have cancer. Retirement, Rodgers told McAfee last month, is still a possibility. Advertisement It's unclear when the four-time NFL MVP will make his decision, but ESPN's Adam Schefter predicted it will come sooner rather than later. 'I think that we've heard Art Rooney, the team owner, say he expects Aaron Rodgers to sign there, and they have mandatory minicamp June 10th to the 12th. So, I would think that Rodgers is on the table here in the next week or so,' the NFL insider said on ESPN Milwaukee. The Steelers begin OTAs on May 27 and will have Mason Rudolph and sixth-round pick as their quarterbacks. More Patriots Content Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
28-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Minnesota Frost celebrate PWHL title repeat [RAW]
What Kind of Leader is Art Rooney II? | Steelers Morning Rush Welcome to Steelers Morning Rush, our new daily short-form podcast with Alan Saunders, giving a longer perspective on a single news topic surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers or the National Football League. Today, it's the leadership of president Art Rooney II. Rooney is a behind-the-scenes presence for the most part, letting general manager Omar Khan and head coach Mike Tomlin do most to the talking for the team, but he's still an integral part of the team's decision-making process. So what kind of leader is Rooney for the Steelers organization? Alan breaks it down. #steelers #herewego #nfl CONNECT WITH STEELERS NOW: Steelers Now: SN on Twitter: SN on FB: SN on Insta: 12:26 Now Playing Paused Ad Playing
New York Times
28-05-2025
- Business
- New York Times
As Aaron Rodgers saga continues, Mason Rudolph leads Steelers offense … for now
PITTSBURGH — It felt like old times on Tuesday when Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph took the field at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex for the first OTA session of the spring. Same No. 2 jersey. Same head coach. And his approach? 'Same way I always have,' said Rudolph, who rejoined the team this offseason on a two-year, $7.5 million deal. 'Just control what I can control. Throw the ball well, lead the guys and play well.' Advertisement He paused for a second before adding one important caveat. 'When I get a chance to,' he said. But will he actually get the chance to play? It's often said that quarterback is the most important position in football. For the Steelers, it also has been the area with the least stability. Shortly after the 2024 season ended, Steelers owner and team president Art Rooney II made it known that his preference was to re-sign either Russell Wilson or Justin Fields. Instead, when Fields signed with the Jets and Wilson inked a deal with the Giants, Pittsburgh turned its attention to Aaron Rodgers, beginning a long and drawn-out courtship. On three occasions, Rooney indicated that a decision could be coming soon. He said that first at the NFL league meetings in Florida on April 2, again during the draft and most recently at the owners meeting in Minnesota. However, to this point, there's no signature on a dotted line, nor is there any indication of when this prolonged saga will come to an end. To use his words on 'The Pat McAfee Show,' Rodgers remains 'open to everything and not specifically attached to anything.' With the uncertainty lingering, several players tried to defend their possible future quarterback. 'Sometimes we put so much stock into the offseason, and we get caught up thinking it's everything,' defensive co-captain Cameron Heyward said. 'Yes, it can help. Yes, guys can get better, but who's to say you can't be better outside of here? 'I hate to point to it, but last year, I missed OTAs (during a contract dispute), so it didn't really help me. I think (with) any player, you know what you need. You know what's required of you. As you progress toward training camp, you start to kick it up, whether it's meeting with teammates or whatever. To each his own.' With no public deadline and no timeline for a decision, the Steelers offense is left in limbo. And no player is more directly impacted by it all than Rudolph. Advertisement While the 29-year-old quarterback threw with the first-team offense during practice on Tuesday, no one can say with any certainty whether he'll be QB1 leading the Steelers out of the tunnel in Week 1 or if he'll be bumped down the depth chart. All the while, he has to deal with the chatter and speculation about Rodgers and other veteran QBs like Kirk Cousins. 'That's nothing new to me,' Rudolph said. 'There's been constant noise. That is the nature of the NFL. So I have been used to that for a long time now. (I'm going to) do nothing but be the best I can be and help our team get better this spring.' Rudolph's return to Pittsburgh is a good reminder of how we got here in the first place, as the Steelers' search for Ben Roethlisberger's successor comes full circle. When the Steelers selected Rudolph in the third round of the 2018 draft, it appeared for a minute that he could be the heir apparent to Roethlisberger. The chance to start in the NFL came earlier than anticipated when Roethlisberger sustained a season-ending elbow injury in 2019. However, during a tumultuous second season in the NFL, Rudolph struggled, was knocked out of a game with a concussion and was eventually benched for Devlin 'Duck' Hodges. Over the subsequent seasons, he tumbled down the depth chart as the Steelers handed the offense over to Mitch Trubisky and later Kenny Pickett. With the season unraveling in 2023, Rudolph went from QB3 to savior. The Steelers were in a tailspin that year when Rudolph was thrust into action. During a surprising three-game winning streak during which they qualified for the playoffs, Rudolph completed 74.6 percent of his passes for 716 yards and three touchdowns. In the process, Rudolph changed the trajectory of his career. Just a few short months after he was mulling retirement and struggling to find a job, he was starting in the playoffs against the Bills. "I've got a lot of great friends and teammates here, a lot of comfortability with (head coach) Mike T(omlin) and the staff, and (general manager) Omar (Khan) put together a great roster." Rudolph on return to Steelers: 'It's a special place' — Dale Lolley (@dlolley_pgh) May 27, 2025 'I love Mason,' tight end Pat Freiermuth said. 'He's a hell of a guy, hell of a teammate, great locker room guy. Two years ago, we needed to win three games in a row to make it to the playoffs. He stood in the pocket and delivered for us. So we've got all the faith in him.' While coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged at the time that Rudolph's late-season surge showed a different side to his game, the Steelers chose to remake their QB room last offseason by signing Wilson and trading for Fields. Rudolph, meanwhile, went to Nashville. He went 1-4 in five starts, completing 64 percent of his passes for 1,530 yards, nine touchdowns, nine interceptions and a quarterback rating of 80.1. Advertisement By returning to Pittsburgh, Rudolph is back where it all started. 'I just think it's a special place,' he said. 'I've got a lot of great friends and teammates here, a lot of comfortability with Mike (Tomlin) and the staff. (GM Omar Khan) has put together a great roster. Who wouldn't want to be a part of this team and this offense?' While Rudolph is approaching this phase of the offseason like a professional, there's no telling if or when his status could change. Today, he's QB1. But should Rodgers sign — maybe in a few days, maybe ahead of mandatory minicamp (June 10-12) or maybe before training camp in July — Rudolph will inevitably be bumped back down the depth chart. Just like old times.
