Art Rooney – Despite wait, ‘positive’ signs on Aaron Rodgers to Steelers

PALM BEACH, Fla. — Although Aaron Rodgers remains unsigned, Pittsburgh Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II said he keeps “hearing” that the star quarterback is “headed in our direction.”

“We keep getting positive sort of signals about it,” Rooney said Tuesday from the annual league meeting. “So yeah, I’d say we feel pretty good about it at this point.”

One of those signs, according to Rooney, is that Rodgers and new Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf had a throwing session over the weekend in California. Photos and videos of the workout were posted Monday on social media.

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“I would say it was a good sign that he wanted to do that,” Rooney said of Rodgers and the session.

The Steelers began seriously pursuing Rodgers more than three weeks ago during the negotiation period before the official start of free agency. Rooney acknowledged that he didn’t envision the process “taking this long.”

Although he declined to give a firm timeline of when he’d like to resolve the Rodgers situation, Rooney suggested there’s not an indefinite deadline.

“Not forever, but a little while longer,” he said when asked whether he was content to wait on Rodgers.

Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said Sunday that training camp represents a “line of demarcation” for when having an incomplete quarterback position would hinder team development.

“In the spring, it’s about teaching and learning and getting familiar with players and making sure they’re getting familiar with some of the things that we value,” Tomlin said. “It’s not an evaluation time of the year for us. It’s certainly not a time of the year where we’re focused on readying ourselves for the game action.”

Like general manager Omar Khan and Tomlin, Rooney also said the March meeting with Rodgers in Pittsburgh went well.

“It was good to meet him,” Rooney said. “We talked about Pittsburgh and all the Pittsburgh coaches he’s had over the years. … We had a good conversation.”