The prevailing narrative for months has been that Aaron Rodgers will only return for one team if he plays one final NFL season—reuniting with Mike McCarthy and the Pittsburgh Steelers. That certainty may be fading, as Mike Florio reports the AFC runner-up Denver Broncos are now exploring the possibility of signing him.
“With (to date) only the Steelers linked to Rodgers during the 2026 free-agency cycle, Denver has potentially re-entered the chat,” Florio wrote via Pro Football Talk. “There’s talk of the Broncos possibly bringing Rodgers in for a visit. The motivation comes from the possibility that current starter Bo Nix won’t be fully and completely back to 100 percent when Week 1 rolls around.”
Nix suffered a devastating ankle injury at the end of the Broncos’ win in the AFC Divisional Round and was unable to compete in the conference championship. While Broncos owner Greg Penner stated he was “ahead of schedule” with an eye on being ready for OTAs, their reported interest in Rodgers may indicate the opposite. At the very least they are coming up with contingency plans for a team that was very close to qualifying for its first Super Bowl since the 2015 season.
Would Rodgers even entertain the idea if the Broncos called? It’s hard to imagine him wanting to start over again with an entirely new offense, especially given Sean Payton’s reputation for putting a lot on the plate of his quarterbacks. But it’s worth considering that Rodgers coveted the opportunity to play for a legendary coach like Mike Tomlin and may have a similarly high opinion of Payton.
On the other hand, the most recent connection between the two was Rodgers calling out Payton for blasting Nathaniel Hackett’s coaching job with the Broncos in 2022.
“I thought it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coach’s name out of his mouth,” Rodgers said according to NFL.com.
It’s fair to wonder whether Rodgers and Payton would be a good fit from a personality standpoint.
If Rodgers wants a chance to compete for a Super Bowl in his final season, the Broncos are probably a better choice than the Steelers. But unless Nix has a setback, he will regain his starting job at some point during the season. Rodgers isn’t going to sign up to finish his career on the bench.
McCarthy has been speaking with Rodgers frequently about a return to Pittsburgh, and he indicated the conversations have been positive. Meanwhile, Art Rooney II stated the Steelers are expecting an answer prior to the draft. Based on their actions in free agency, they didn’t seem like a team scrambling for a backup plan.
For now, this is probably one to file under the unlikely category.
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