Lil Wayne joined Pittsburgh Steelers All-Pro defensive end Cameron Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast this week, and the conversation inevitably landed on Aaron Rodgers.
The one thing you’ll love about Aaron [is] Aaron keeps everybody accountable,” Heyward said. “But he’s never gonna throw anybody under the bus. He’s going to talk to you. We’re gonna talk about it and make sure this [expletive] is right. But he respects everybody in that locker room. He respects everybody as you go to work. When you’re out there, you want to play for Aaron.”
That’s all well and good, but everyone is more interested in whether Rodgers, 42, will still be in the NFL to hold teammates accountable in 2026. Wayne asked Heyward, “What you think Aaron is gonna do?”
“I did talk to him today,” Heyward, 36, said. “He sounded great. He sounded like he was at peace, but he still loves ball. I think he’s gonna play.”
When Wayne clarified he wasn’t asking whether Rodgers would retire but rather which team Heyward thought Rodgers would play for next season, Heyward quickly replied, “I think it’s one team. The Steelers. I don’t think he wants to play for anybody else, but that’s just my opinion.”
Earlier this month, NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry reported that he’d heard at the 2026 NFL Combine in Indianapolis that Rodgers was “leaning towards” playing at least one more year with the Steelers. One week later, ESPN’s Adam Schefter said on Get Up that the Steelers were “hopeful and optimistic” on re-signing Rodgers.
“They are hoping Aaron Rodgers comes back, and if he doesn’t, they would then be prepared to have Will Howard and Mason Rudolph on the roster,” Schefter said. “They obviously would have to add somebody else. It’s the reason that I think they don’t feel rushed and compelled to go out and add anybody right now.”
Rodgers, meanwhile, is approaching his major life decision with his usual nonchalant demeanor.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with my wife,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show on March 4. “We went on a ski trip, just been laying low.”
Rodgers confirmed he had been in contact with McCarthy and Steelers general manager Omar Khan, but he said, “There’s been no deadline that’s been put in front of me. There’s no contract offer or anything, so there’s nothing that I’m having to debate between.”
He added, “I’m a free agent. And, again, I’m enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the offseason, and I think there’s conversations to be had down the line, but right now there hasn’t been any progressive conversations.”
Rodgers signed a one-year contract with the Steelers last June. The four-time NFL MVP led the Steelers to a 10-7 record and a playoff appearance before getting routed by the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card round. Longtime Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down after the loss.
Pittsburgh hired former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, which sets up a potential reunion with Rodgers. McCarthy was Green Bay’s head coach for most of Rodgers’ tenure with the Packers, and they won the Super Bowl together 15 years ago.
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