Hall of Fame Coach Rips Steelers for Waiting on Aaron Rodgers: ‘That Guy’s Got to Be on Board’
Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back and Hall of Fame NFL head coach Tony Dungy questions what the Steelers are doing with Aaron Rodgers. If Rodgers is not all-in, why are the Steelers wasting their time waiting for the 41-year-old quarterback?
“That guy’s got to be on board. Aaron Rodgers should be saying, if he wants to do this, ‘Yeah, I can take you to a Super Bowl.’ Let’s go. I love these veteran guys. Let’s get there and get rolling. Let me get there and get started,’” Dungy said on Football Night in America. “Not, ‘Hey, I’ll get back to you in a little while and we’ll see what happens’. No, I don’t want that from the guy who I think is gonna be the hero for me.”
As Hal of Fame head coach Bill Parcells famously said, “If you’re thinking about retirement, you’re retired.” That could be the case with Rodgers, as the only team available for Rodgers is the Steelers and maybe the Minnesota Vikings. What’s the hold up?
Appearing on ESPN Milwaukee’s “Jen, Gabe & Chewy” on Wednesday, Adam Schefter explained that Rodgers could call it a career.
“I think, Chewy, that, first of all, they both need each other right now, frankly,” Schefter said about the Steelers and Rodgers. “And that’s if — that’s if — Aaron wants to play, which I’m not convinced yet that he does. Until I hear him say ‘I want to play’ then I can tell you people are asking that question about whether he wants to play. Like, it’s come up. … I’m hearing he might not wanna play.
“By the way, again, I don’t wanna speak for him because I don’t wanna get called out. We’re speculating. But, it shouldn’t be that hard. You either wanna play for the Steelers or you don’t, right? Like, what are we waiting for?”
Aaron Rodgers paid a lengthy visit to the Steelers’ practice facility on the South Side last Friday but left without putting his name on the dotted line. That leaves Mike Tomlin and Pittsburgh to continue to wait.
“I don’t see too many free agents who go visit a team for six hours, think about something,” Schefter said. “What’s the question? What’s the issue? They want you. You don’t want them? Clearly, you have questions. I don’t know if that’s playing for that team, living in that city, playing football in general. There’s something that’s holding you back because they want him.”