Aaron Rodgers finally made the decision to sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, giving the franchise a new starting quarterback for the upcoming season. After months of rumors floating around, one insider reveals when things “intensified” between the veteran quarterback and the organization that led to the signing.

During a segment on “NFL on ESPN,” insider Jeremy Fowler explained that conversations heated up in early June. After giving the 41-year-old quarterback time to deal with personal issues, the Steelers managed to sign Aaron Rodgers. When asked what led to the signing, Fowler claimed that “constant communication” played a large part.

“Mike Tomlin, Arthur Smith talked it up with Rodgers the last few weeks to make sure everybody was comfortable with meaningful conversations. Then I was told Thursday morning, inside the Steelers' building, is when this really started to intensify.

“Actually, some relief set in because everybody there, everybody involved, felt this [signing] was going to happen. They expected it. But they never really got an affirmative ‘yes' [from Rodgers] until that point.”

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It was widely expected that Aaron Rodgers would sign with the Steelers. However, there was some speculation he could have chosen to retire instead. Pittsburgh was seemingly all-in on Rodgers throughout the offseason and showed it after passing on quarterbacks in the first five rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft.

The four-time MVP is coming off a decent year statistically with the New York Jets. Although his play didn't translate to many wins, Rodgers still looked solid in the pocket. He ended the 2024-25 campaign with 3,897 passing yards and 28 touchdowns through the air while recording a 63.0% completion percentage.

If Rodgers can bring that level of production to the table, then the Steelers could largely benefit, especially if the veteran quarterback targets newly acquired wide receiver DK Metcalf early and often.

Last season, Pittsburgh started both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields. Together, the two combined for 3,588 passing yards and 21 passing touchdowns with a 64.3% completion percentage.