After the work done by Omar Khan over the first couple waves of free agency, there aren't many holes left on the roster. There are a couple spots that need some more attention, but there's still one pesky position that needs to be addressed yet again: Quarterback.

I've been reporting for weeks that the Steelers want Aaron Rodgers back. Their experience with him in 2025 was valued greatly by just about everyone on the South Side. While the Steelers want to find their next franchise quarterback, that option hasn't been out there for multiple offseasons now. With all the talk about Malik Willis, Kyler Murray or any other option in free agency or via trade, there was never any serious consideration to pursue those options. Willis was on their radar, but no offer was made to him.

So, where does that leave the situation with Rodgers? Is this really just another offseasons of sitting around and hope he decides to play? I've been gathering as much as I can on this over the past few weeks. What both Khan and Rodgers have said publicly, about both sides remaining in open communication, that's all true. It's not show, not gamesmanship to keep people guessing. Whatever's being said publicly, reported here or reported anywhere else, both sides know much more than anyone else does.

But, where does it end? At what point do the Steelers say enough is enough and move on if Rodgers drags this out again? To reinforce what I've reported before, nobody I've talked to inside the organization feels this'll play out like it did last year. And they're not repeating that just because Khan said it on the record at the Combine in Indianapolis. Once again, there's no smokescreen there. Also, there is not a deadline set. Nobody on the Steelers' side has approached Rodgers and said, "You have to sign the contract and be here by this date."

If there is a line of demarcation, it's the draft. The Steelers would really prefer to have Rodgers in the building by then. Mike McCarthy really values the work that's done during the offseason program, and that will start next month before the draft.

Another layer to this: Just as last year, Rodgers will not impact the Steelers' approach to the draft. Meaning, if there's a quarterback they like in any round, they will take him. They will not let their talks with Rodgers dictate how they approach building for the future.

The Steelers remain optimistic this will play out in which Rodgers is in the building and under contract by the time the draft starts on April 23. Of course, it takes two sides to get a deal done. Money won't be an issue, just like last year. It's just a matter of whether or not Rodgers wants to suit up for a 22nd NFL season.

MORE STEELERS

• There will be fans asking, so here's the latest on Will Howard, and it's actually not much different than anything I've reported over the past few weeks: They like him. Like, they really like him. Part of the plan right now is trying to develop Howard, challenging him to take a big step forward in his second season. Of course, the next step is getting even one preseason snap under his belt. But, the Steelers want more than that, and they believe he is capable of it. That being said, Howard will not be handed anything. If Rodgers doesn't sign for whatever reason, he won't be handed a starting job. If Rodgers signs, he won't be handed the backup role. He has to earn whatever he gets, regardless of what happens with Rodgers or the draft. -- Chris Halicke in Downtown

• The Steelers have 12 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft. This gives Khan a ton of flexibility to do ... pretty much whatever he wants. One thing I wouldn't expect, though, is a trade up in the first round. The Steelers were hoping this year's draft class would have been good for quarterbacks, and they have the capital to make a move if they want to. That didn't work out with the way this quarterback class is structured. Any kind of aggressive move that early in the draft will be reserved for if and when they see a future franchise quarterback to go get. So, don't be surprised if Khan turns some of this year's draft capital into 2027 capital. -- Chris Halicke

• With the moves made to address the secondary in free agency, such as signing the likes of Jamel Dean, Jaquan Brisker and resigning Asante Samuel Jr., we have yet to see how everything will be utilized. And, we most likely won't get a true indication of it until training camp. However, one thing I have learned -- going all the way back to the Combine, then having conversations with other sources since then -- is the coverages and utilization of the players in the secondary will be noticeably different than what it was under Mike Tomlin and Teryl Austin. Nobody on the inside wants to give specifics -- for obvious reasons. But, rest assured, Patrick Graham isn't here to run it back. -- Chris Halicke

• Contract extensions for the Steelers' 2023 draft class have to be negotiated this offseason, otherwise the team runs the risk of losing them in free agency next spring. There's no guarantee they get all of these done, but the Steelers would ideally lock up five of their seven selections -- everyone except for Broderick Jones and Cory Trice Jr. Jones' play, along with the uncertainty regarding his neck injury not only get in the way of potentially picking up his fifth-year option, but affect the potential of any extension, as well. With Trice, it's not a matter of whether or not they like him. I'd be hard pressed to find a single soul in that building that didn't love the guy. But, he's gotta stay on the field. Injuries have derailed his career thus far, and potentially the ability to land a second contract. Everyone else -- Joey Porter Jr., Keeanu Benton, Nick Herbig, Darnell Washington and Spencer Anderson -- is a candidate to be extended. Of course, it's not a perfect world. It takes two sides to get a deal done, and there's a cap on how much the team can spend, so they can't just throw money at everyone. But, after the way the final few of Kevin Colbert's draft classes bombed, this conundrum is a breath of fresh air for the organization. -- Chris Halicke

PENGUINS

• Erik Karlsson is just a totally different person this season. The resurgence on the ice is real -- he's looking a lot more like the former Norris Trophy-winner he is. But he's just seemed to be in a much better mood in the room, too. The past couple years he could get a little prickly at times dealing with media, but that hasn't been the case this year. Even after losses, he's been a lot better to deal with.

Karlsson has made clear a number of times now that he didn't like playing for Mike Sullivan. He felt like he was being asked to change his game, and he also felt like as the "new guy," it was a losing battle trying to push back on that. He was recalling this once, then said, "But now I got Musey!" and lit up. He feels like Dan Muse lets him play in the way that has brought him success. He's finding that success again, and he's having a lot of fun now, too. -- Taylor Haase

• Saw Kyle Dubas and Hurricanes GM Eric Tulsky having a long chat in Raleigh, N.C. this week, though it seemed like a pretty light conversation. -- Taylor Haase

• When Ryan Graves came out of the lineup in January he was injured, and my understanding was that it was something that had been bothering him prior to his last game in Calgary. When he was activated from IR prior to the Olympic break it was almost out of necessity, he was briefly the lone "extra" defenseman on the roster and could have stepped in if needed. He went back on IR coming out of the break, and is still on IR after being recalled from his conditioning stint. Things seemed to go well for him during his conditioning stint, so he could be activated if the Penguins do want to make any changes to their blue line soon. -- Taylor Haase

• Filip Hallander didn't travel with the team on this last trip, and I hadn't seen him skating with the injured players prior to the trip after he was recalled from his conditioning stint for further testing. It's not necessarily a "setback" for him, they never had an actual timeline for his return for his blood clot, only a minimum. They're hopeful he can be back before the end of the season, but they're being cautious. -- Taylor Haase

• Still nothing on whether forward prospect Cruz Lucius will sign after his senior season at Arizona State ended. The Penguins want to sign him but are being respectful toward letting him finish his degree and not rushing his decision, but it would be nice if he could sign soon -- even if his contract starts next season, he'd be able to join Wilkes-Barre immediately on a tryout deal. A concern would be that if he waits until Aug. 15, he hits free agency and would be free to sign with a team with less forward depth if he wishes. --Taylor Haase

• Mentioned this at the time, but the holdup for the Penguins' sale is that the NHL's Board of Governors hasn't met since the sale agreement. The last meeting was Dec. 8-9, right before the agreement was completed on Dec. 19. They typically meet twice a year during the season -- the December meeting was already the second of the year -- so that's a hangup on the approval process. -- Taylor Haase

PIRATES

• Mike Clevinger recalls being enamored by the poise Francisco Lindor possessed during their early years together in Cleveland. Even as a young player, Clevinger saw Lindor carry himself with the confidence of an experienced veteran. And, from day one, he knew he belonged. 

Clevinger sees the same thing from Konnor Griffin, the game’s top prospect and a candidate to potentially make the Pirates’ opening day roster at the age of 19. Like Lindor, the raw talent is easy to see. But the poise truly stands out in the eyes of a nine-year major-league veteran. 

“On one of the first days of camp, I was just watching them hit BP and he was just putting balls on top of the roof over there at Pirate City,” Clevinger told me. “I was like, ‘this kid's 19?’ Obviously, that stuff is there, but I think it’s poise, even with the good and bad. There’s no highs and lows, he seems very mentally stable and it doesn’t feel like he’s a young 19-year-old out there. I remember being nervous my first big-league camp, and it doesn't look like he has those kind of jitters, which is interesting to see from a young kid.” 

Griffin has seemingly left a lasting impression on his more experienced teammates this spring. He’s put together some results on the field with a team-high four home runs and nine RBIs in 38 at-bats (second on the team) and has never appeared too high or too low, as he learns from experiences against the likes of major-league pitchers such as Boston's Ranger Suarez, New York's Max Fried and Tampa Bay's Shane McClanahan. 

Griffin said at the beginning of camp that he was focused on just being the same guy every day. In his own words: “Stay who you are, be who you are.” He’s done exactly that while batting for an opportunity to make his major-league debut on opening day.

“He seems to be pretty level-headed and he seems to be going about it the right way,” Bryan Reynolds said. “He’s definitely got the skills to do it and it seems like he has the good head on his shoulders to do it. If they gave him that opportunity, I would assume he would excel.” -- José Negron in Bradenton, Fla.

• The Pirates have some roster decisions to make in the next few days and Clevinger, a veteran non-roster invite to camp, is one of the arms battling for a spot. He could be utilized as a back-end starter or a bulk reliever, and he’s not sweating things too much. He told me earlier this week he’s just excited to be healthy and “not playing against myself.” Ultimately, he just wants to help in any way he can. 

“You’ve got to remove your ego,” Clevinger told me. “Whatever they want to do to use me, it’s all about getting that W in that win column, and then seeing if we can play in October. It's been a few years removed for me getting the chance to do that and it’s not like I took it for granted, but it was almost like I knew every year I was playing in the playoffs. At least with other teams I was on until I got over to Chicago, and then feeling what it was like in a rebuild over there, you really have that urge to get back to October. I’m just hoping we can do that here.” -- José Negron

• Bubba Chandler threw 81 pitches in a minor-league game Wednesday and I was told his stuff “looked explosive.” Guys pitching in these minor-league games rather than making starts in major-league spring training is rather common. Both Mitch Keller and Braxton Ashcraft were among those who did it last week to continue their buildup. -- José Negron

• Jared Triolo has played a significant role in Nick Yorke and Tyler Callihan becoming accustomed to playing third base this spring. Callihan said Wednesday night that he’s becoming more comfortable at the position every day, so I asked him if he’s used Triolo, a Gold Glove utility player, as a resource. 

“I think I might be bugging him with the amount of questions I'm asking him,” Callihan said with a smile and a laugh. “He's been great.” 

Even Yorke acknowledged the way in which he’s leaned on Triolo: “I try to emulate everything that guy does at third base. He’s one of the best defensive third basemen in the game for a reason. I ask him a million questions over there and he’s helped me out tremendously. I’ve been fortunate enough to play with him the last year and a half and I’ve built up a good relationship with him, and he’s just a great guy and a great teammate. … When you look around sometimes, he’s the oldest guy in the infield, even though he’s young. He does a great job of helping us out with whatever we need, whether it’s defensive positioning, different types of reads, if we should drop-step on certain balls, all the good stuff.” -- José Negron

• Also regarding Yorke, he doesn’t seem too antsy with roster decisions looming. He’s in the running for a bench role on the opening day roster, something he fell short of last year. He described this spring as one of the best he’s ever had in terms of swinging at the right pitches and hitting the ball hard.

“I feel like I’ve done a lot of good and I’ve done everything I could to try to make the team,” he told me. “It’s not up to me, so I’ll just go about the work and be professional about it every day, day in and day out. Just want to help the team win.” -- José Negron