Since the season ended, there has been more buzz that the Steelers want QB Aaron Rodgers to return and play under former HC Mike McCarthy in 2026.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reiterated this thought, saying they definitely want Rodgers to return for another year. Florio also said Pittsburgh is in no hurry to sign him, though they don’t think it will take as long as it did last offseason when he signed in June.
Should the situation with Rodgers take some time to sort itself out, Florio says Pittsburgh is content focusing on second-year QB Will Howard in the offseason program. Florio also says it’s widely expected that 2026 would be Rodgers’ final year if he does decide to play.
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 Rodgers and the Steelers as the news is available.
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