Pittsburgh Steelers star outside linebacker Alex Highsmith believes the team’s pursuit of Aaron Rodgers has not distracted the group as OTAs approach.

“I just feel like in the locker room and stuff, we’re in there working, and I think that’s just really what it’s about at this point,” Highsmith said on “The Insiders.” “I know that if he does sign, we’re definitely going to be really excited to have him. We know who he is. He’s a Hall-of-Fame quarterback. He’s one of the best to ever do it. I wouldn’t say it’s a distraction at all, but we all know what type of quarterback he is and what he brings to the table.

In early April, team president Art Rooney said the team would not wait forever on Rodgers, but they would not give him timeline for now. That has continued, as head coach Mike Tomlin said around the same time he never thought deadlines were productive.

On the Pat McAfee Show in April, Rodgers said he would not sign a deal with a team until he felt he could fully commit to them with his personal life in order.

In his latest interview on the Joe Rogan Experience, Rodgers may have just revealed and hinted at the issues he hopes to resolve in his personal life.

Rodgers said multiple people in his life are dealing with serious illnesses, including cancer.

“I’ve figured it out during the last year when I’ve been in the weeds with these people who are close to me that have cancer,” Rodgers said.

That is taking a personal toll on Rodgers, who discussed non-conventional treatment options on the podcast. Still, he offered no certain timetable for a decision and seemed focused on his personal life first before anything else.

PITTSBURGH — The Pittsburgh Steelers are waiting for Aaron Rodgers. Everything continues to point to the 41-year-old quarterback signing, but nothing is guaranteed, and one possible disagreement between the two sides may have come out.

The Steelers turned to Rodgers as their top option once it became clear that Justin Fields was going to sign with the New York Jets. Since then, they’ve added Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, supplying backup plans, but nothing to turn away from landing Rodgers.

The hold up appears to be on Rodgers’ side, with the QB making it known he’s dealing with issues in his personal life that won’t allow him to commit to a team.

If Pittsburgh does have a complaint, though, it may now be discovered. Pat McAfee Show corespondent Mark Kaboly asked a question during a recent epside of his podcast, Kaboly and Mack, sparking the conversation that Rodgers may have thoughts on the play-calling.

“Do you think the playbook matters to Aaron Rodgers? Because I really do believe that it’s gonna be Aaron Rodgers’ playbook. He’s gonna call what he wants to call and that might be a little bit of a battle,” Mark Kaboly said. “I wanna believe that Aaron Rodgers is gonna get a lot of carte blanche when it comes to this offense. What he wants to do and what he wants to call.”

He then revealed that he’s heard that Rodgers may want to call his own plays in Pittsburgh.

“I’ve heard rumblings of Rodgers wanting to call his own plays. I don’t know how true that is, so just keep that in the back of your mind more than a report or anything to that fact,” Kaboly said. “I mean he’s been in the league 20 years. He has four MVPs. You have to assume some of that was going to be that anyway.”

The four-time NFL MVP likely has warrant to want some control over the offense. However, Pittsburgh hasn’t been open to quarterback having much say to change plays since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Maybe that changed with Rodgers’ status, but it’s certainly an interesting thought to watch if/when he arrives.

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Aaron Rodgers has been spotted in Pittsburgh — as a Steelers fan claimed on 93.7 The Fan that the four-time MVP was seen leaving a Strip District hotel.

On Friday, “Brett from the South Side” called in to tell The Pomp and Joe Show on 93.7 The Fan that Rodgers was spotted leaving an unnamed hotel:

“So Joe, here’s the deal. I’m not a flaky guy and I don’t know what this means — I’m not going to say he’s signing today, announcing it today, or in two months — but, in the Strip District, this morning at 6:15 a.m., I saw Aaron Rodgers coming out of a hotel.”

Brett told 93.7 The Fan that he owns a cleaning company and asked them not to share the specific hotel name in order to protect his business. Apparently, Brett confirmed with the hotel that Rodgers was staying there — but even if the story is true, what does it mean for the Steelers?

Well, the Strip District is less than five miles from the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex — and Steelers OTAs kick off on May 27.

If the sighting proves to be accurate, is there any correlation between Rodgers staying in Pittsburgh so close to the start of OTAs — and if so, when will the news be made official?