NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo, via Pro Football Talk, said yesterday the Steelers were “nosing around” the available quarterbacks to build a “contingency plan” in case Aaron Rodgers does not end up being the starter in 2026.
That remains the expectation but neither Rodgers nor the Steelers have officially made that commitment yet. Rodgers was on just a one-year deal last year and technically will be a free agent on Wednesday.
Steelers GM Omar Khan has said he doesn’t anticipate the situation dragging out as long as it did last year when Rodgers didn’t join the team until June.
In an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show last week, though, Rodgers didn’t sound like he was in a rush, saying there is “no deadline” for his decision.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with my wife, we went on a ski trip, been laying low. … I’ve talked to Mike, I’ve talked to Omar. There’s no deadline put in front of me, no contract offer to debate over.”
Rodgers, 42, is a former first-round pick of the Packers back in 2005. He agreed to a four-year, $134 million extension that included over $100 million guaranteed in 2018
Rodgers was owed a base salary of $25 million in the final year of his deal in 2022 when he agreed to a three-year, $150 million extension with $101 million of the deal guaranteed.
After one year, the Packers traded him to the Jets for a package that included a second-round pick in 2023 and a conditional 2024 second that could become a first.
He played just four snaps in 2023 before tearing his Achilles in Week 1, but returned as the Jets’ quarterback for the 2024 season. New York released him with a June 1 designation after the season.
He then went on to sign a one-year deal with the Steelers.
In 2025, Rodgers appeared in 16 games for the Steelers and completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
We’ll have more on the Steelers and Rodgers as the news is available.
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