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The Pittsburgh Steelers are still waiting connected Aaron Rodgers’ 2026 NFL play determination — will he play, aliases is status yet calling for nan four-time MVP?
The Steelers and caput coach Mike McCarthy, his aged leader from their clip pinch nan Green Bay Packers, proceed to hold patiently, and truthful is 1 of nan newest successful nan building: wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.
"I’m hoping he’s close," Pittman told Fox News Digital during a caller question and reply up of his clip astatine nan 2026 NFL Draft successful Pittsburgh pinch Toyota.
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Newest Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Michael Pittman Jr. hopes Aaron Rodgers is "close" connected making his determination of whether to play aliases not successful 2026. (Getty Images)
Pittman arrived successful Pittsburgh earlier this offseason aft nan Indianapolis Colts reached a waste and acquisition pinch nan Steelers to nonstop nan seven-year receiver east. As he continues to get acclimated, Pittman is already proceeding nan question: Is Rodgers coming back?
"I don’t cognize thing — group deliberation that we cognize something. Why would Aaron show maine anything?" he said, laughing.
Pittman said he isn’t "worried astir it excessively much" from a individual perspective, fixed his clip successful Indianapolis was riddled pinch backmost turnover. Throughout his tenure pinch nan Colts, Pittman played for 10 different starting quarterbacks, including Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan, Joe Flacco, and Daniel Jones this past season.
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It moreover sewage truthful bad successful 2025 pursuing Jones’ wounded that he was reunited pinch Rivers, who was signed successful hopes he could thief salvage nan season.
Aaron Rodgers (8) of nan Pittsburgh Steelers looks connected looks connected during nan nationalist anthem anterior to an NFL shot crippled against nan Baltimore Ravens astatine Acrisure Stadium connected Jan. 04, 2026 successful Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
But while immoderate of those guys are apt heading to nan Pro Football Hall of Fame 1 day, there’s nary doubting Rodgers’ Canton hopes and what he brings to a squad moreover if he is turning 43 successful December.
"Obviously, Aaron is simply a awesome subordinate — look astatine everything he’s done," Pittman added. "We would emotion to person him back. At nan extremity of nan day, he has to determine that for himself."
Rodgers whitethorn not beryllium astatine nan Steelers’ commencement to voluntary offseason program, but he is working retired to stay successful style successful mentation for nan caller play if he decides to return. But location has been power soundlessness betwixt some sides, according to NFL Network, and location is nary anticipation to perceive from him earlier nan first information of nan draught originates connected Thursday night.
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While Pittman, nan Steelers and nan remainder of nan NFL hold to perceive from Rodgers, Will Howard, nan team’s sixth-round prime successful past year’s draft, is nan expected starting backmost for McCarthy’s squad heading into nan voluntary workouts.
In nan meantime, Pittman will proceed to bask nan sports-crazed metropolis he now calls home.
"Being successful Pittsburgh, conscionable nan vibe of driving around, everybody is wearing thing sports. It’s either nan Steelers, nan Pirates aliases nan Penguins," Pittman explained. "Somebody’s wearing immoderate achromatic and gold, which I deliberation is awesome. They emotion their shot there. I mean, Indy loves football, too. I’m not taking thing distant from Indy fans, but it’s conscionable nan Pittsburgh — everybody knows Pittsburgh for being Pittsburgh. The Steelers, nan fans. The municipality is group connected these rivers. The stadium is correct there, nan scenery. It is thing crazy, and I’m excited to beryllium location and beryllium capable to play for them."
Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. (11) looks connected during nan NFL shot crippled betwixt nan Indianapolis Colts and Pittsburgh Steelers connected Nov. 2, 2025 astatine Acrisure Stadium successful Pittsburgh, PA. (Mark Alberti/Icon Sportswire)
IMPACTING LOCAL FLAG FOOTBALL WITH TOYOTA
Pittman is ever looking to effect his community, particularly being successful a caller city. Following his domiciled arsenic a coach during Toyota’s Glow Up Classic during Super Bowl week successful San Francisco, Pittman is backmost pinch nan automotive shaper for a typical NFL Draft emblem shot training campy featuring Pittsburgh precocious schoolhouse girls emblem players connected nan eve of draught night.
Pittman, alongside immoderate NFL Draft prospects and members of nan U.S. Women’s National Flag Football team, will beryllium putting connected his coach’s chapeau to thief coordinate drills, while giving instruction and mentorship to those girls participating.
And moreover better, prime participants will beryllium chosen to locomotion nan NFL Draft Red Carpet, arsenic they get to acquisition and witnesser immoderate of nan champion young players successful shot fulfill their dream, for illustration Pittman, of proceeding their names called successful nan NFL Draft.
Youth players participate successful nan Toyota Glow-Up Classic, a glow-in-the-dark emblem shot exhibition, astatine nan Super Bowl Experience successful San Francisco connected Feb. 4, 2026. Toyota is providing grants to each younker subordinate for their emblem shot future. (Jeff Lewis/AP Content Services for Toyota Motor North America)
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With caller nationalist information from Campus Multimedia and YouGov uncovering that 70% of teens (12-17) want brands supporting their schoolhouse community, this is conscionable different illustration of really Toyota is making an effect successful communities each complete nan country. As an charismatic partner of NFL FLAG convention play, which has helped turn nan crippled by reaching complete 300,000 younker players nationwide pinch complete $3 cardinal successful support, Toyota is besides buying each NFL FLAG autumn registration kit fees for existent players successful nan Pittsburgh Flag Football League (PFFL) coed younker and precocious schoolhouse girls leagues.
"Our main connection to these girls is to seizure their spotlight, and I conscionable cognize this is each for them," Pittman said. "We’re conscionable location to pump them up and anyhow we tin champion them and conscionable assistance them up and fto them cognize we’re present to support girls emblem and we want to make it a renowned sport."
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Scott Thompson is simply a sports writer for Fox News Digital.
