Tuesday marked the start of the third and final phase of the Steelers' offseason program at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex, and they did so without Aaron Rodgers under contract.

Rodgers continues to remain a free agent, but still remains just as tied to the Steelers since talks began during the negotiation window of free agency. With the organization's expectation remaining that the four-time MVP will eventually sign with the team, the waiting game can be thought of by many on the outside as a distraction from the work that's taking place on the South Side.

Judging off the first day of OTAs, that doesn't seem to be the case. 

"I just take it day by day," Pat Freiermuth said. "It is what it is. Just trying to put my head down and be a leader for this offense. We've got a lot of new faces on this team and just trying to uphold the standard that I learned from older guys when I was here. There are other things I can be doing than worrying about who's going to be our quarterback."

That's the consistent mindset among the players, based off everything that was said today. The work remains focused on the ones who are present and working at the facility. However, that also doesn't mean there's any condemnation for those who weren't present today. That includes, based on the positional workouts media was permitted to view and shoot, a few big names such as T.J. Watt, DK Metcalf and Darius Slay, the latter two being brand new to the team.

Nobody poured more water on the concern over attendance at OTAs than Cam Heyward, the team's most respected leader. Heyward, who missed OTAs last offseason, responded to questions about if he'd like to have the quarterback position taken care of by this time, and made it sound like the whole ordeal wasn't much of one at all:

"I think sometimes we put so much stock into the offseason where we can get caught up into thinking it's everything," Heyward said. "Yes, it can help. Yes, guys can get better. But, who's to say you can't get better outside of here. I hate to point to it, but last year I missed all of OTAs. So, it didn't really help me. I think any player, you know what you need. You know what's required of you. As you progress towards training camp, you start to kick it up, whether it's meeting with teammates or whatever. To each their own."

So, while Rodgers remains unsigned, the players remain committed to Mason Rudolph as if he's going to be the starting quarterback. In fact, the plan all along has been for Rudolph to be a fallback in case things fall through with Rodgers. That's one of the key reasons why the team signed him so early in the free agency process. The team has faith in Rudolph if and when he has to start games.

"I feel like we're proceeding as necessary because with Mason at quarterback, we made the playoffs, went into a playoff game and I'm pretty sure it was a one-score game in the fourth quarter (against the Bills)," Calvin Austin III said. "All of us on offense have full confidence. We have full confidence in the coaching staff and have full confidence in each other. When we get out here, we block all the other stuff out and just work. That's the thing that makes this place special and why I love it, because at the end of the day, the thing we're most concerned with is the product you put on the field."

"I love Mason," Freiermuth said. "He's a hell of a guy and a hell of a teammate. A great locker room guy and, what was it, two years ago we needed to win three games in a row to make it to the playoffs and he stood in the pocket and delivered for us. We've got all the faith in him and it's exciting to get back out here with him."