The wait goes on for Aaron Rodgers’ decision. The Pittsburgh Steelers were initially of the belief that Rodgers would notify them of his decision of whether he will return to the team for the 2026 season before the NFL Draft. Aaron Rodgers is still yet to announce whether he will return to the Steelers in 2026GettyBut with the Las Vegas Raiders now under 36 hours away from being on the clock to make the No. 1 overall pick, it appears that the 41-year-old quarterback is still undecided. On Tuesday, Steelers owner Art Rooney II confirmed that Rodgers has not yet informed the team whether he will be playing for the Black and Gold. “I wish I could tell you we’re at the end of the discussion, but we’re still talking to Aaron and he’s still deciding what he wants to do,” Rooney said on the DVE Morning Show on Tuesday. “I think we’re close. He’s kind of told us his time frame and what he’s going to be up to over the next couple of weeks. I think we’ll have an answer soon, let’s put it that way.”Although Rooney declined to lay out a concrete timeline of when a decision would be expected, he did say that it was “warm” to say that the team would expect to have more clarity by May 18 when OTAs begin. While the Steelers have remained patient throughout, the ongoing wait for a veteran quarterback who is very much in the twilight years of his career, with retirement nearing the horizon everyday that passes, could hugely impact the team’s draft strategy. As it stands, Pittsburgh currently possess the 21st overall pick in the first round, and have to wait until pick No. 53 in the second round, barring whether they decide to make any trades. While it is not expected that they will take a quarterback in the first round, with them having areas of need elsewhere, particularly on the offensive line, the storied franchise also needs to remain somewhat mindful of what the future lies ahead for them under center. Should Rodgers ultimately decide to call time on his career, then the Steelers would enter the 2026 campaign with Will Howard and veteran Mason Rudolph, who has made 14 starts for the organization between 2019-2025. McCarthy confident Rodgers would slot right in if he returnsHowever, should he decide to return, though, then Mike McCarthy, who became just the fifth head coach in Steelers history following Mike Tomlin‘s departure for a television career, has every faith that he will slot right back in. McCarthy is hoping for a Rodgers reunion in PittsburghGettyMason Rudolph is the only QB currently on the Steelers roster with NFL playing experiencegetty“I think Aaron is probably more in tune than we would realize,” McCarthy said on Tuesday, via The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo. “But I have confidence in where he would be the day he would arrive, if that’s his decision.”In 16 regular season games last season, Rodgers completed 65.7 of his pass attempts for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns to just seven interceptions, leading the Steelers to a 10-7 record and their first AFC North title since 2019. “What l’ve learned through instituting an offseason program, there are benefits of periods where your veterans aren’t here,” McCarthy added. “When we’re talking about the quarterback position, this is a very beneficial time for Will [Howard] and Mason [Rudolph] right now. They split all the reps the last two days.”McCarthy is reportedly very high on the potential of Howard, who was drafted in the fourth round last year out of Ohio State, in particular, with former Steelers QB Charlie Batch also endorsing the 2024 College Football Playoff National Champion“We don’t know if Aaron Rodgers is gonna come back,” Batch explained in an exclusive sit-down with talkSPORT’s Will Gavin back in February. The Howard era could begin in Pittsburgh if Rodgers doesn’t returnGetty“If he does, ultimately he’s gonna help Will Howard in learning this system and then being able to now pass it off to him, and hopefully he’s the quarterback of the future for the next ten years.“I can see him coming back and I support it. I say that only because we don’t know when we want to hand the reins over to Will Howard.“We have to remember he got hurt at the wrong time right before the preseason game started. So you don’t have an evaluation process with him in game action.“And then he when he did return it was only for two months of the season and he was only on the scout team running the other team’s plays.“So now he’s behind the eight ball a little bit from a learning curve perspective. You add Aaron Rodgers in here. He’s been in this system for 18 years and what better way for Will Howard to learn from a four-time MVP in that offense?”But Rodgers can’t help but be at the center of all those decisions, whether he wants to or not, with his teammates’ fate ultimately lying in his hands.Stay up to date with the latest from the NFL across all platforms – follow our dedicated talkSPORT USA Facebook page and subscribe to our talkSPORT USA YouTube channel for all the news, exclusives, interviews and more.