Steelers Insider Gerry Dulac: Team Remains Confident Aaron Rodgers Will Return

Gerry Dulac said last week that some people inside the Steelers were starting to lose patience with the Aaron Rodgers waiting game. He came back on the show with an update, and the read is the same.

Calm, confident, mostly. And the patience-meter elevator is creeping toward the top floor.

"What I had said then was that if he was not there by May 18th, which is Monday, the start of OTAs, then some people who matter were going to start losing their patience," Dulac said.

When Rich asked what that actually means, Dulac admitted he is not sure.

"I don't know what it means, because I just don't see them walking away from this situation," Dulac said. "Aaron Rodgers has all the leverage. And not that this is about leverage. I can't sit here and tell you exactly what it's about, but I can tell you what I know, and what I've been told for the longest time is that it is not about money."

The Steelers, in Dulac's framing, have a history of being patient with veteran players. He invoked Dan Rooney's policy with older contract holdouts.

"Dan would tell them, look, wait till a week before the end of camp, and then we'll sign the deal," Dulac said. "Because they were older players, and he'd say, just keep, stay away because we don't need you, we don't want you to get hurt."

Dulac was careful to note this is not exactly the same situation. But the muscle memory inside the building is friendly to long timelines.

The current read on the room is calm.

"They seem to remain very calm and confident that he is coming," Dulac said.

The case for that confidence runs through the new head coach.

"Mike McCarthy is coming back to his hometown to coach the team that he grew up watching and cheering for," Dulac said. "The Steelers won the division title last year. They've been in the playoffs five of the last six years. Mike McCarthy doesn't want anything less than that in his first year with the Steelers. And he feels the person who can at least replicate that and maybe take another step is Aaron Rodgers more so than what he has."

The wait is part of the equation.

"He's going to wait for Aaron Rodgers," Dulac said. "I don't really think it's going to take much longer. You can just tell, there's no panic setting in. But I will tell you if this drags on, which they said it wouldn't, yes, some people are going to lose some of their patience."

Rich pushed for a number.

"You wanna give me an indication how high up the flowchart we go here with the patience meter?" Rich said.

Dulac took the elevator analogy and ran with it.

"Pretty high, as high as you can possibly go," Dulac said. "If the elevator goes six floors, I'd say it gets stuck between five and six."

Rich confirmed the Rodgers visit story. Dulac said Rodgers was in town last week without being seen at the facility.

"That is correct, that's what I was told, that he was in town," Dulac said. "Of course, nobody spotted him. He was in town, and they were just talking with his agent. I know in those instances, you cross some tees and dot some eyes."

He was firm that the holdup is still not money.

"The Steelers don't believe there's any big holdup with money," Dulac said. "That was not an issue with them, and from what they understood, for him. I don't know if that suddenly changed. I don't think so, but I don't know."

Mike McCarthy, in Dulac's reporting, claims constant contact.

"Mike says he talks to him, makes it sound like it's several times a week," Dulac said. "And I don't think they're talking about the Penguins' early playoff exit."