It appears Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will ride off into the sunset after the 2026 season. Meeting with the media on Wednesday, Rodgers revealed that he’ll only play another yr (via Brooke Pryor of ESPN).
“Yes,” said Rodgers when asked if this shall be his last season.
It’s price mentioning that Rodgers made similar comments last June, a few weeks after the previous Packer and Jet ended a protracted trip to free agency to affix the Steelers. It was a similarly drawn-out process this spring, but Rodgers finally agreed to return last weekend for a guaranteed $22MM. Rodgers stated that he made the choice after last month’s draft, adding he has been in Pittsburgh since early May (via Pryor). The four-time MVP and future Hall of Famer is now in line to play his twenty second season on the age of 42 (he’ll turn 43 in December).
Rodgers’ respect for longtime head coach Mike Tomlin influenced his decision to sign with Pittsburgh in 2025. The 2 went on to form a robust connection in a 10-7, AFC North-winning campaign for the Steelers. Rodgers didn’t resemble his all-world Green Bay self, but he bounced back from a few forgettable Jets seasons to win 10 of his 16 starts. He accomplished 65.7% of passes (in keeping with his profession mark of 65.1), tossed 24 touchdowns against just seven interceptions, and posted a good 94.8 traditional rating.
While the regular season was a hit for the Rodgers-led Steelers, the franchise prolonged its playoff losing streak to seven games. Led by a ferocious defense, Houston went into Pittsburgh within the wild-card round and crushed the Steelers, 30-6. Tomlin resigned shortly after that. It appeared Rodgers would follow Tomlin out the door, but then the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy as their head coach. McCarthy held the identical position in Green Bay from 2006-18. He and Rodgers won their only Super Bowl together, and the QB also took home two of his MVP awards in that span.
Rodgers told reporters Wednesday that he suggested McCarthy to Steelers general manager Omar Khan after Tomlin stepped down (via Pryor). The QB and coach were in communication over the past few months.
“There may be a full aspect circle that piqued my interest of coming back,” Rodgers said of reuniting with McCarthy (via Mark Kaboly of The Pat McAfee Show).
Tomlin never posted a sub-.500 season in any of his 19 years on the helm, and he ended his Pittsburgh tenure with three straight playoff berths. The Steelers will expect similar regular-season leads to McCarthy’s first yr and Rodgers’ last, though it’ll go down as a disappointment in the event that they are once more immediately dispatched within the playoffs. The Steelers haven’t won a postseason game since January 2017, which has led to increased frustration from their fan base.
With Rodgers’ profession nearing an end, the Steelers can have to buy a starting signal-caller yet again next offseason. That can depend upon how much faith they’ve in 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard and rookie third-rounder Drew Allar. Since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 campaign, Pittsburgh has been unable to search out a long-term answer at the sport’s foremost position.
The Steelers spent a 2022 first-rounder on Kenny Pickett, but he lasted just two years with the organization. After Pickett flamed out, they brought in Russell Wilson and Justin Fields as starting options in 2024. Despite making the playoffs that yr, the Steelers weren’t impressed enough to bring Wilson or Fields back for a second season. That led them to Rodgers, who will go down as a two-year starter for the franchise.
Rodgers will enter his final season fourth all-time in touchdown passes and fifth in each yards and completions. He’s 13 TD tosses from 540, which might move him past Peyton Manning for third on the list. He can even have a probability to develop into just the sixth QB to ever start a game at age 43 or older (via James Palmer of Bleacher Report).