Nearly two months into free agency, Rodgers still has not committed to anyone.
On Tuesday, an Arizona Cardinals receiver decided he had waited long enough.
Kendrick Bourne tagged Rodgers directly on X with a simple message: "Come on we waiting on you."
Bourne's post arrives as reports out of Pittsburgh indicate the Steelers' patience with Rodgers' prolonged decision timeline is beginning to wear thin, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, and as buzz around the Arizona Cardinals as an alternative landing spot continues to build.
The Steelers drafted Drew Allar in the third round last weekend, retained Will Howard and Mason Rudolph, and coach Mike McCarthy has said he would love to have Rodgers back.
Rodgers finished 10-6 as a starter in Pittsburgh in 2025, completing 65.7 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
McCarthy called him "really cool to see at 42" when asked about his former quarterback's decision process at minicamp this weekend. The decision has just not come.
Why the Cardinals Make Sense
The coaching connections between Rodgers and Arizona's current staff are the most interesting part of this conversation.
Nathaniel Hackett is the Cardinals' offensive coordinator, a title he previously held in Green Bay from 2019 through 2021 while Rodgers won back-to-back MVP awards.
Hackett followed Rodgers to the Jets in 2023 as head coach and the two remain close. New Arizona head coach Mike LaFleur is the brother of Packers coach Matt LaFleur, who coached Rodgers in Green Bay for four seasons.
𝗧𝗥𝗘𝗡𝗗𝗜𝗡𝗚: Cardinals WR Kendrick Bourne makes his pitch to Aaron Rodgers.
— JPA (@jasrifootball) May 5, 2026
Could Rodgers actually land in Arizona? pic.twitter.com/fxBfYZwi7z
As John Breech of CBS Sports noted, the Cardinals are essentially offering Rodgers a coaching staff he would find deeply familiar at a moment when his relationship with Pittsburgh's coaching staff carries the complicated history of his acrimonious exit from Green Bay with McCarthy.
The roster also features real weapons. Trey McBride is one of the best tight ends in the NFL. Marvin Harrison Jr. enters year three with a young receiver's upside still ahead of him, and Michael Wilson made noise in the second half of 2025. In addition, Bourne himself is a reliable third option.
Rookie Carson Beck was drafted in the third round to serve as the eventual franchise quarterback, which creates a natural bridge role for a veteran starter.
Why It May Not Happen
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk spoke on the situation: the connection makes sense at one level and no sense at another.
Rodgers is 42 years old.
The Cardinals are rebuilding around Beck and do not want a prolonged veteran tenure to interfere with that development timeline.
The Steelers seeing Aaron Rodgers ➜ Cardinals rumors: https://t.co/O9TwQixfaE pic.twitter.com/SG2FNgI7qD
— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) May 4, 2026
Jacoby Brissett is the incumbent starter and skipping voluntary workouts in a contract dispute of his own, which has created an opening, but there has been no reported contact between Rodgers and Arizona.
The Steelers remain the team that has actually shown interest in Rodgers as a starter, and the tender they placed suggests they are still expecting him to return.
July 22 is the deadline before exclusive Pittsburgh rights kick in. The next six weeks will answer the question.
Photo Credit: Barry Reeger-Imagn Images
