NFL free agency officially kicked off on Monday, and it’s just as chaotic as you’d expect.
Unfortunately, that means some reporters will be prone to mistakes while trying to parse through information from several different sources, many of whom have competing motives.
One Pittsburgh Steelers beat reporter clearly acted a bit too quickly on Monday, and was forced to correct what would’ve been a bombshell report about the team signing free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette sportswriter Gerry Dulac posted a report Monday afternoon on X indicating a deal between Rodgers and the Steelers was imminent, citing multiple sources. Dulac, in the since-deleted post, reported, “The Steelers are getting close to a deal with four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, per multiple sources. They decided to enter discussions with Rodgers and Sam Darnold when it became apparent Justin Fields wanted to test his value in the free-agent market.”
Below is a screenshot of the original post, courtesy of Steelers Depot.
About 20 minutes later, Dulac deleted the post with no explanation. Then, one hour after the original report was posted, Dulac filed an article in the Post-Gazette reporting the Steelers are “in discussions with Aaron Rodgers but [a] deal is not imminent.”
AMPLIFICATION: Steelers in discussions with Aaron Rodgers but deal is not imminent, per sources. https://t.co/tY5So7Puci
— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) March 10, 2025
Mistakes happen in sports reporting, but this is a rather significant blunder for a beat reporter to make. A beat writer is someone who should be as well-sourced as anyone when it comes to the ins and outs of what’s happening from a player personnel perspective.
When a beat reporter says a deal is “close” and cites “multiple sources,” that’s typically treated as good as gold by the standards of NFL reporting. For Dulac to put this out there and then backtrack an hour later borders on journalistic malpractice.
It’s very easy to use language that conveys uncertainty in situations like these. Dulac could’ve hedged his bets; plenty of other reporters used phrasing like Rodgers has “emerged as an option.” He didn’t, and in turn, put out information that wasn’t in line with what was actually happening.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.