Apparently, one year just wasn’t enough of this.

For the second straight offseason, the Pittsburgh Steelers have spent months awaiting the decision of free-agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

Last year, the saga spanned all the way until June before Rodgers finally signed with the Steelers. No one quite knows how long this year’s uncertainty will last, but now there’s a chance this year’s rendition doesn’t end in a deal.

Yesterday, we got the slightest bit of insight into where things stand between Rodgers and the Steelers. Pittsburgh placed the incredibly rare UFA tender on the quarterback, which gives Rodgers the opportunity to accept a 10 percent raise from his 2025 salary, which was $13.65 million.

It also gives the Steelers some more control. While Rodgers can still sign elsewhere this offseason, this tender will give Pittsburgh exclusive negotiating rights to Rodgers if he is still unsigned by the first day of their training camp (or July 22nd, whichever comes first).

And if Rodgers does sign elsewhere before then, it sets the Steelers up to receive a compensatory pick as a consolation.

It’s a tactic the Steelers are using to try and nudge forward a process that has them getting dragged along again, but it’s also a sign that the Steelers might still truly be in the dark about Rodgers’ intentions.

Pittsburgh looked like they were at the whim of Rodgers last year before he ultimately signed in June, but the organization knew he was coming far before the public did. Former head coach Mike Tomlin, one of the selling points of the Steelers to Rodgers, admitted as much months after the fact.

But this year, it’s hard to tell whether there’s a handshake agreement still in place between the two sides. And the longer this situation plays out again, the more one has to wonder if a Rodgers return does more harm than good to the Steelers as an organization.