Fortunately, the San Francisco 49ers aren't exactly waiting on anything from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
But the Pittsburgh Steelers are.
The 42-year-old signal-caller remains a free agent, but discussions about him returning to Pittsburgh for yet another season, albeit one that'd reunite him with his former head coach with the Green Bay Packers, Mike McCarthy, remain very much in limbo. Will Rodgers finally call it a career? Is he weighing his options? Is he dragging things out in an odd attempt to create headlines?
Only he knows for sure.
If Rodgers opts not to return, the Steelers would be in a bit of a pickle. Currently, their go-to quarterbacks are Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, who don't exactly inspire confidence for a Pittsburgh squad in a serious transition phase.
So, with Rodgers' uncertain future as a backdrop, would the Niners be able to provide an assist?
According to Bleacher Report's Moe Moton, absolutely.
Steelers can turn to 49ers' Mac Jones as an Aaron Rodgers contingency plan
Moton outlined some emergency options for McCarthy and Co., should Rodgers ultimately rebuff the Steelers this offseason, and the top one was for Pittsburgh to strike a deal with San Francisco for quarterback Mac Jones.
Jones, of course, resurrected his career last season by helping the 49ers go 5-3 while completing nearly 70 percent of his passes during an eight-start fill-in when Brock Purdy was dealing with a turf-toe injury.
Granted, Jones' trade market has gone ice cold, and it doesn't appear as if the Niners are desperately shopping their QB2 anyway.
However, as Moton outlined, Pittsburgh might be desperate enought to convince San Francisco to consider:
The Steelers may be able to acquire Jones with a second-round pick, which wouldn't be a huge loss with their three third-rounders.
Based on Jones' recent production, he would be an upgrade over ninth-year veteran Mason Rudolph and second-year pro Will Howard, who's yet to start in a game.
As a rookie in 2021, Jones made the AFC Pro Bowl roster with the New England Patriots. He also has three times as many career starts (57) as Rudolph.
New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy has a strong track record with quarterbacks, particularly in the early development of Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott in his prime. He could help Jones have a Sam Darnold-like career turnaround in Pittsburgh.
With only six picks in this month's NFL Draft, and just two in the top 100, the 49ers may be inclined to seek out more upper-end assets in what's generally viewed as a weaker class. That might be reason enough to part ways with a proven backup who appears to be on a trajectory back toward being a quality starter again.
Before such a thing happens, though, Rodgers has to make up his mind.