Steelers LB Sends Hopeful Message While Awaiting Aaron Rodgers Decision

The Pittsburgh Steelers are patiently waiting to see if veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers will be under center for the 2026 season.

The expectation has been that Rodgers would make his decision before the 2026 NFL Draft begins, which is on April 23 in Pittsburgh.

If Rodgers returns, that pairs him and former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy up one more time. If Rodgers doesn't come back, the chances of them selecting a quarterback in the draft increase.

Veteran linebacker Patrick Queen was asked about the potential Rodgers return, and Queen sure hopes the signal-caller is back next season.

"Is he gonna be back? I don't know. That's kind of a thing for Aaron and the team to figure out," Queen said on Good Morning Football, via Eric Edholm of NFL.com. "I'll take him. Dude is a great teammate, he's a great quarterback."

Queen added that he thinks it's 50-50 that Rodgers would return while mentioning that the QB "doesn't really owe the game anything."

At this point, nobody knows, although the expectation has been that Rodgers would play another season, especially since the Steelers hired McCarthy as the new head coach.

What If Rodgers Doesn't Play in 2026?

If Rodgers doesn't play in 2026, the Steelers have a big question to answer at the QB position with not many options available.

The only QBs on the roster are Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, both of whom come with question marks.

They could select Alabama's Ty Simpson, but he is also a question mark after starting just one season at Alabama.

The free agent market has essentially dried up at the QB position, and Kirk Cousins signed with the Las Vegas Raiders while Kyler Murray and Tua Tagovailoa also found new homes.

Now, Indianapolis Colts QB Anthony Richardson asked for a trade earlier in the offseason, and that could be an option for Pittsburgh if Rodgers decides he is done playing.

All in all, the best option would be to have Rodgers back in the black and gold in 2026, and Queen and a lot of others are holding out hope for that scenario.

Related: Steelers Predicted to Draft QB With Mike McCarthy Ties

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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 11:44 AM.