"Once you hear athletes talking about retirement, they've already retired," Doug Whaley hints at Aaron Rodgers

Former executive of

Pittsburgh Steelers

, Doug Whaley, silently warned the Steelers community about hiring 41 YO

Aaron Rodgers

as their quarterback. How did Doug Whaley do that? Hear this out: "We are in Buffalo(Bills), and Percy Harvin gets cut from Minnesota(Vikings). And we call him to say - hey, we are interested in you. And he goes - I'm thinking about retiring. And then, at the time, Anthony Lynn was our running backs coach and, I think, our offensive coordinator.
And he says - I would love to have him, but once you hear athletes start talking about retirement, they have already retired. We ended up signing him anyway. I think in the first game, he takes a punt back for a touchdown. About week 7 or 8, we are going over to London to play the (Jacksonville)Jaguars. That week, he comes in and says - I'm retired, and we are like, wait a minute. It was crushing 'coz we were right in the playoff mix." - Doug Whaley warned Pittsburgh Steelers about hiring Aaron

Rodgers

as their QB through this elite example of Percey Harvin! Where did Doug Whaley share this picture-perfect example? On 93.7 The Fan -

Pittsburgh Sports Radio

on Wednesday.

Doug Whaley said a few days back, "Aaron Rodgers is holding the entire Steelers organization hostage,"

On March 12, 2025, Blitzburgh shared through their official X account,
"Former GM Doug Whaley says Rodgers is holding the Steelers hostage: "Aaron Rodgers is holding the entire Steelers organization hostage." #Steelers #NFL"
X users instantly reacted to this,

"The Steelers did it to themselves"
"And it tells you what a joke the Steelers organization has become. They are an afterthought in a league anymore as far as chasing championships go. They are just another woe-be-gone franchise with no direction from Rooney and mediocre Mike."
"It's their own fault! They have f**ked up this qb situation since before Ben's retirement , it's pathetic that this is were this franchise is."
"The @steelers are letting him. Give him a deadline or move on. Waiting on him and losing out in other areas of need is not the best way to make this team any better."
"All the Steelers have to do is say take it or leave it. It's that simple. If he wants to go play for the Giants good luck to him. Good grief"
This was March 12, 2025, and now? 10 days later?

Aaron Rodgers meets with the Pittsburgh Steelers for six hours

There were only two landing spots for Aaron Rodgers, the ayahuasca retreat lover or the darkness retreat lover(according to Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward). Anyway, the two spots were - the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers. One was turned down on Friday evening. And that was the Giants. The Giants signed a 2-year deal of 8 million dollars with free agent quarterback Jameis Winston. Leaving Aaron Rodgers with only one landing spot, the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Senior NFL Reporter Albert Breer shared on his official X platform,
"The Steelers' meeting with Aaron Rodgers ended about a half-hour ago. He spent time with GM Omar Khan, coach Mike Tomlin and OC Arthur Smith. No deal, but there was no expectation that would happen today. The sides will keep talking."
According to Blitzburgh's official X account,
"Steelers meeting with Aaron Rodgers today was a get to know you meeting. No negotiations. He wanted to meet the coaches. #Steelers #NFL"
"Also, the meeting today had no real negotiation, or even discussion on money. That isn't expected to get in the way, and this was about Rodgers getting a feel for the coaches and the culture. One thing that I think helps the Steelers—They have an older, accomplished core."
The bottom line- we still don't know whether Aaron Rodgers is with the Pittsburgh Steelers or not.
Also Read: "Everybody gave me crap," Cam Heyward dismisses questions about Aaron Rodgers on The Rich Eisen Show | NFL News - The Times of India