American Football
Aaron Rodgers' Steelers return edges closer with rare tender
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Amid yet another spring edition of Aaron Rodgers' annual retirement saga, the Pittsburgh Steelers have placed a right-of-first-refusal tender on the 42-year-old.
How Rodgers' tender works
Rodgers can still talk to other teams, and if he signs an offer sheet with another team before July 22, Pittsburgh has the option to match it.
He can also just sign the tender. With that, there's a bizarre catch: he can only put pen to paper with the Steelers once training camp starts on June 2.
Rodgers missed the deadline, again
Owner Art Rooney II wanted an answer before the draft. Unsurprisingly, he didn't get one.
The Steelers couldn't just sit on their hands, so they used a third-round pick on Penn State's Drew Allar, a direct result of uncertainty about whether their starter would return.
Allar, Will Howard and Mason Rudolph are all now on the roster. Rodgers would make four quarterbacks on the depth chart.
What happens with Rodgers next?
Joe Sargent / Stringer
Despite all the retirement noise, every indication is that Rodgers wants to play. The tender makes it clear, were it not already obvious, that the Steelers want him back, too.
If Rogers doesn't sign anywhere by July 22, Pittsburgh gets exclusive rights.
One way or another, this should be over soon.
