Michael Pittman Jr.: I haven’t spoken to Aaron Rodgers, but think he wants to play

Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said recently that he and his new Steelers teammates will “make the most of” whoever is playing quarterback for the team this fall and it remains unclear when they’ll have a better idea about the identity of that player.

Aaron Rodgers has not announced his plans for 2026 and Pittman reiterated on Up & Adams Monday that he believes the team will be in good shape if Mason Rudolph or Will Howard wind up taking the snaps. He also said he is “obviously hoping” to catch passes from Rodgers and that he thinks that will wind up being the case.

“I’m trying to give him space because Aaron’s a guy, he likes his space, he likes to get refreshed,” Pittman said. “I didn’t want to just get signed and then blow him up and be like, ‘Hey Aaron, what’s the deal?’ . . . I think that he wants to play. Just knowing Aaron prior to this, I just think he’s gonna try and play as long as he can.”

Rodgers hasn’t spoken publicly about his plans in a few weeks and he didn’t offer any hint about which choice he’ll make at that time, so it remains to be seen if Pittman’s perception is the correct one. The sooner the Steelers know if it is, the better for their chances of exploring other options that might be available to them.