Rooney says Steelers remain in regular contact with Rodgers

Pittsburgh Steelers owner and president Art Rooney II remains confident Aaron Rodgers will be the team's quarterback in 2026, but he said Wednesday the club applied the rarely used UFA tender on him to make sure it would secure a compensatory pick "in the unlikely event he goes somewhere else."

"The main thing that the tender gives us is potential for a comp pick if Aaron would choose to go to another team," Rooney II said in an interview on NFL Network. "We don't expect that, but by the same token, you never know. And it's just something that we had an opportunity to protect if needed.