Aaron Rodgers is finally set to end his NFL limbo and officially join the Pittsburgh Steelers this week, according to reports.
NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero claims Rodgers, 41, has informed the Steelers that he will fly to Pittsburgh on Friday and sign ahead of next week’s minicamp.
Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport also added that he will be putting pen to paper on a one-year deal with Mike Tomlin’s team.
The veteran quarterback had been agonizing over his next move for close to three months after being released by the New York Jets in March.
And if he indeed signs with the Steelers as expected, Rodgers will likely make his NFL debut for the Steelers against the Jets on September 7.
To add to the fascinating narrative surrounding that Week 1 fixture, New York has also moved on with a new quarterback of its own in Justin Fields – who turned down a new contract in Pittsburgh and entered free agency himself at the end of last season.
Aaron Rodgers is finally set to end his NFL limbo and officially join the Pittsburgh Steelers
Rodgers is best known for the 18 seasons he spent with the Green Bay Packers, where he won the Super Bowl in 2011.
However, the four-time MVP failed to hit his stride in a miserable two-year tenure with the Jets and eventually split with the team on March 12.
After leaving New York, Rodgers had been linked with city rivals the Giants and the Minnesota Vikings as well as the Steelers.
It quickly became clear that Pittsburgh was the only realistic option on the table for him, before he jetted over to Pennsylvania for talks with Tomlin.
Despite that meeting reportedly being held in early March, Rodgers still took significant time to weigh up whether he should play on for at least another year or hang up his cleats.
Last month he revealed that tragedy in his personal life, with multiple members of his inner circle said to be battling cancer, had forced him to put his NFL decision on hold.
‘I’ve been in the weeds with these people who are close to me that have cancer,’ he told Joe Rogan on his podcast.
Rodgers did not specify who in his inner circle was battling cancer, or how many had been stricken with the disease.
At a public event in Austin, Texas shortly after, the Packers icon dropped his biggest hint yet about a proposed move to Pittsburgh.
After being asked by a young fan if there was any chance that he could sign for the Chicago Bears – a team that he had plenty of experience beating – Rodgers slyly responded: ‘No, but I believe there’s a team that might play in Chicago this year… a road trip…
‘I love Chicago, though, way more than they love me! It’s been a great relationship, all one way!’
A quick look at the NFL schedule shows that the Steelers will be on the road against the Bears in Week 12 of the season on November 23.
