After Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers concluded their recent NFL postseason with a Wild Card Round loss to the Houston Texans, questions surfaced about the veteran quarterback’s future.
Rodgers had mentioned before the season that he believed this would be his last one playing in the NFL. With that, many expected Rodgers’ retirement announcement after longtime head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down.
That did not happen, and Pittsburgh has since hired former Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl with Rodgers as his quarterback. That’s led to some speculation that Rodgers might consider returning to play for the Steelers next season.
Still, there hadn’t been much else on those rumors until a new report arrived today from NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero. According to Pelissero, there is a much stronger chance that Rodgers will return to play another season in the NFL.
“The odds are rising that he comes back,” Pelissero indicated (per SleeperNFL), also saying, “I don’t see it being any place else… if he’s going to play, I believe it’s going to be for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
The former Packers Super Bowl winner briefly played for the New York Jets before suffering a brutal injury that ended his season way earlier than he would’ve liked. He then signed a one-year, $13.65 million deal to play for the Steelers and led them to the postseason under Tomlin.
Tomlin’s departure seemed to seal the deal on retirement, but McCarthy’s hiring may have changed Rodgers’ mind as he looks to play for his former coach from Green Bay. While his previous remarks suggested he was content to retire, they also left the door open to keep playing.
During his June 2025 appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," Rodgers said he expected the 2025 season to be his final one in the NFL, indicating, "Pretty sure this is it."
"When this is all done, it’s Keyser Söze, you won’t see me," he also said, referring to the mythic crime lord in the film "The Usual Suspects."
However, he’ll first have to announce his retirement before disappearing completely from the public eye. Many fans will be awaiting Rodgers’ massive decision in Pittsburgh.
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