Quarterback attendance at OTAs draws notice

The Boston Globe’s May 23 roundup of NFL offseason work focused on a simple contrast: Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was not at organized team activities, while Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was present and practicing. The item, by Ben Volin, framed quarterback attendance as one of the early storylines of the spring program. NFL rules make this stretch voluntary, but attendance still gets noticed when established starting quarterbacks are involved. The Steelers’ own website showed Rodgers on the field at the UPMC Rooney Sports Complex on May 18 and again on May 20. The Chargers’ official site had recent features on Herbert and the team’s offseason plans, but the Globe reported he was absent from OTAs as of May 23. Across the league, that left one of the first OTA talking points centered less on play design than on who was — and was not — in uniform. ### Why did Herbert’s absence become a story? Justin Herbert’s absence drew attention because starting quarterbacks usually set the tone for voluntary spring work, even when no rule requires them to attend. The Globe said Herbert’s status raised the possibility of a contract-related issue, though it did not report a formal holdout or any public dispute. (bostonglobe.com) The Chargers’ recent team coverage still presented Herbert as central to their 2026 plans. A May 21 item on the club website quoted General Manager Joe Hortiz calling him “a special competitor,” and a May 8 story highlighted offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel’s expectation that Herbert could play his “best football” in 2026. Neither item addressed the OTA absence noted by the Globe. (bostonglobe.com) ### What exactly did Rodgers do in Pittsburgh? Aaron Rodgers did more than check in. Steelers team photos from May 18 and May 20 showed Rodgers participating in OTA sessions, and a team blog said he took the field for the first two sessions after signing a one-year contract on May 18. DK Metcalf, quoted in the Steelers’ OTA blog, said Rodgers’ early presence mattered after the quarterback reported later in the previous offseason. (chargers.com) The team blog said Rodgers told reporters there had been offseason doubt about whether he would play another year, adding another layer to the significance of his attendance this spring. ### Are OTAs mandatory, or is this mostly optics? (steelers.com) The NFL said in its April offseason calendar announcement that each club’s nine-week offseason program is voluntary. Under Article 21 of the collective bargaining agreement, teams move through three phases, with OTA work falling within the later spring portion of that program. (steelers.com) That voluntary status is why teams and players rarely frame absences as violations. But quarterbacks remain a special case because they direct the offense, build timing with receivers and often serve as the public face of the club. The Globe’s item treated that difference in visibility as the reason Herbert and Rodgers stood out from the broader OTA churn. (media.nfl.com) ### Why is this coming up now across the league? May OTA sessions are the first broad on-field look at depth charts, new coordinators and roster competitions. The Globe said teams were using this period to sort quarterback involvement alongside position battles elsewhere on the roster. The NFL’s published calendar shows the spring program continuing into mandatory minicamp season in June. (bostonglobe.com) That is the next formal checkpoint for both teams: Pittsburgh after Rodgers’ early participation, and the Chargers after Herbert’s May 23 absence was reported by the Globe. (media.nfl.com)