Wednesday links: When should the Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers deadline be?

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A weekly Steelers (and AFC North) links roundup.

It’s Wednesday, which means it’s time for a weekly Steelers links roundup at BTSC. But first, let’s take a look around the AFC North:

• Browns provide an unfortunate update on JOK (Dawgs by Nature)
• Trey Hendrickson speaks out on potential contract holdout (Cincy Jungle)
• Ravens safety suffers major injury during offseason conditioning (Baltimore Beatdown)

Now, onto some Steelers news and discussion:

Former Steelers WR Santonio Holmes lands coaching job

(From Penn Live’s Nick Farabaugh): Central State University hired Holmes to coach its wide receivers. The university is in Wilberforce, Ohio, about an hour outside of Columbus. … Central State is a Division II school that plays in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC). Its nickname is the Marauders.

Last season, the Marauders went 1-9. However, Central State’s press release for the addition of Holmes noted that the former wide receiver has “championship moments” on his resume that will help the program. Holmes, of course, was the MVP of Super Bowl XLIII, catching the game-winning pass against the Arizona Cardinals.

Steelers unveil clock counting down to 2026 NFL Draft

(From Steelers.com): On Monday, Pittsburgh officially went ‘on the clock’ with the unveiling of the 2026 NFL Draft Countdown Clock. The Steelers, VisitPITTSBURGH, Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh unveiled the two-sided digital clock on the North Shore Great Lawn, with a backdrop of Acrisure Stadium from one side and the city skyline from the other, making it not just a symbol for the upcoming draft, but a one-of-kind photo opportunity for those visiting the region.

In the article, Pittsburgh Mayor Ed Gainey is quoted as saying the city could host one million people over the three-day draft.

Steelers rookie minicamp takeaways

(From Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders): In short, it’s kind of hard to figure out how [wide receiver Roc] Taylor went undrafted. We’ll have to see if his physicality lines up with his size when the reps get a little bit more live, and if he hands can keep pace for more than one weekend, but it looks like the Steelers might have a steal in Taylor.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter thinks Aaron Rodgers will make his decision before veteran minicamp

Appearing on ESPN’s “Unsportsmanlike” on Tuesday, May 13, ESPN insider Adam Schefter said he expects — he’s not reporting — that free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers will make the decision whether or not he wants to join the Steelers by the team’s mandatory veteran minicamp, which begins June 10.

“I think we would get a decision from Aaron Rodgers shortly before (minicamp),” said Schefter. “It’s not ideal to miss that mandatory minicamp and think that you can show up at the start of training camp with a whole new roster and a whole new offense, all new teammates — even though he did throw to D.K. Metcalf that one day — and expect that things will be operating at full efficiency.”

Schefter also said he hasn’t heard anything about Rodgers signing with the Saints, saying it’s likely “Pittsburgh or bust” for the veteran passer.

When should the Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers deadline be?

Schefter’s opinion that the Steelers’ mandatory minicamp is the ultimatum for Rodgers makes sense. At that point in the offseason, offense vs. defense drills are permitted and the plan for the upcoming season starts to take shape.

For the Steelers’ sake, they probably want to know who their starting quarterback is by then. And for Rodgers’ sake, the veteran quarterback is known for having complex hand signals he expects teammates to learn and a heavy emphasis on developing chemistry with his receivers — two things that will take time to develop on a new team.

However, while Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has been quoted as saying that training camp is the “line of demarcation for development of a group,” he later said that statement was more general than applying specifically to the Aaron Rodgers timeline.

Having Rodgers make his decision before veteran minicamp, or Steelers’ training camp at the very latest, makes sense — but has anything made sense so far in the Pittsburgh/Rodgers saga?

When do you think the Steelers’ Aaron Rodgers deadline should be? When do you think it actually is? Join the BTSC community and let us know in the comments below!