Aaron Rodgers ends months-long dance with Steelers by agreeing to a 1-year deal

PITTSBURGH AP Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin are taking their long-simmering bromance to the next level The four-time NFL MVP ended months of Will he Or won t he speculation by agreeing to a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers pending the -year-old passing a physical Financial terms of the deal were not communicated The Steelers and Rodgers had been circling each other for months Rodgers even visited the squad s facility in late March driving in undercover in a nondescript sedan wearing a hat and sunglasses While there were plenty of nice words from both sides in the aftermath Rodgers didn t rush to put pen to paper telling The Pat McAfee Show in April that his attention was focused on helping people in his inner circle who were battling certain challenging stuff and that he didn t want to decide until he knew he could fully commit With mandatory minicamp coming next week Rodgers apparently finds himself in a place where he can give the Steelers his full attention Rodgers joins a organization that has been stuck in a transitional period at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the season Either Rodgers or Mason Rudolph who returned to Pittsburgh on a two-year deal in March will likely be Pittsburgh s fifth Week quarterback in five seasons The Steelers have stayed competitive up to a point anyway amid the constant churn at the majority pivotal position on the field Pittsburgh has reached the playoffs four times in the last five seasons only to be expeditiously escorted out of the postseason in lopsided fashion each time Justin Fields and Russell Wilson who combined to lead the Steelers to a - record and a playoff berth last season ended up in New York Fields will replace Rodgers with the Jets after agreeing to a two-year deal Wilson is heading to the Giants on a one-year contract Those deals left Rodgers and the Steelers without any other reasonable options Both sides have their reasons for consummating what is essentially a marriage of convenience Rodgers hopes to author a happier ending to his Hall of Fame career after two eventful if underwhelming seasons with the Jets While Rodgers is hardly a long-term approach in Pittsburgh he is the best option left after the Steelers chose not to use one of their higher picks in April s draft on a quarterback instead taking a late-round flyer on former Ohio State star Will Howard The union brings Rodgers and Tomlin the longest-tenured head coach in major professional North American sports together after years of what is the football equivalent of flirting They ve long held each other in high esteem and have enjoyed a handful of memorable on-field interactions that went viral Last fall they playfully nodded at each other as a sign of respect after Tomlin was forced to burn a timeout when Rodgers tried a quick snap that would have ended with the Steelers being penalized for having too multiple men on the field Pittsburgh is hoping Rodgers has enough left physically to go with a football IQ that remains elite He was solid if not spectacular last season in New York throwing for touchdowns against interceptions Yet his play on the field often took a back seat to the drama off it as the Jets cycled through coaches and limped to a - record with Rodgers spending much of his time in New York defending comments he made on platforms like The Pat McAfee Show The Steelers are no strangers to drama If there s been one constant since the club s last Super Bowl appearance a loss to Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in February it s the ability to employ talented if mercurial players The list runs the gamut from Roethlisberger to Antonio Brown to Le Veon Bell to JuJu Smith-Schuster to George Pickens traded to Dallas last month Pittsburgh has retooled a bit in the offseason including acquiring two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf from Seattle The Steelers speedily signed him to a new five-year deal to bring specific stability and hopefully maturity to a wide receiver room that s lacked both The one thing Pittsburgh hadn t done was do the same at the greater part major position on the field Tomlin and group president Art Rooney II both kept the door open for Fields and Wilson to return only to stand by idly when Fields bolted for the Jets and make no serious attempt to retain Wilson While the Steelers did bring back Rudolph a season removed from leading them on an improbable run to the playoffs he is considered a backup The field of experienced players available eventually winnowed down to Rodgers His arrival is a stopgap one that Pittsburgh hopes will keep it competitive until a long-term key arrives the majority likely in the draft Until then Rodgers and the Steelers will try to make the best of a marriage of convenience of their own making