Aaron Rodgers, Denver Broncos
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Aaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers looks on after defeating the Baltimore Ravens.
The Denver Broncos could pull off a stunning move at the game’s most important position and sign four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers in free agency.
Rodgers, who will turn 43 in December, is heading into his 22nd NFL season.
The former Green Bay Packers, New York Jets, and Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is still on the market, and the Broncos have re-emerged as a speculative potential landing spot for the 10-time Pro Bowler and 2010 Super Bowl champion.
Broncos Name-Dropped as Potential Aaron Rodgers Landing Spot
Aaron Rodgers
GettyAaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up befor a game.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio detailed rumors of the Broncos’ interest in Rodgers during the 2021 draft, when the QB raised eyebrows about the San Francisco 49ers having interest in him, but Denver looming as a suitor.
Rodgers stayed with the Packers then, but his current free agency has sparked new rumors.
“With (to date) only the Steelers linked to Rodgers during the 2026 free-agency cycle, Denver has potentially re-entered the chat,” Florio wrote on April 1.
“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.”
Florio noted how that conflicts with comments from Broncos brass to the opposite effect.
Nix is expected to make a full recovery from the broken ankle bone he suffered in the postseason, with head coach Sean Payton and owner Greg Penner both asserting the QB is ahead of schedule.
Florio, who fittingly insisted the information was “not an April Fool’s Day gag,” posited that Payton could be “tempted to roll the dice” in pursuit of his second Super Bowl victory and the first by any head coach with two different franchises.
“For Payton, the possibility of blazing a new trail for NFL coaches could be the thing that gets him to Canton,” Florio wrote. “From Rodgers’s perspective, which team gives him a better chance to walk away with a second Lombardi Trophy in his back pocket, the Steelers or the Broncos?”
Rodgers is not the QB he once was, but he can still be effective in the right situation.
Aaron Rodgers Still Effective
Aaron Rodgers
GettyAaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers warms up before a game against the Houston Texans.
Rodgers had 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions on 65.7% completion in 2025. He went 10-7 as the Steelers’ starter. He has a 66,274-527-123 career line on 65.1% completion.
The Athletic’s Daniel Popper ranked Rodgers as the 57th-best free agent and QB3.
“He still has the arm strength and talent to make most NFL throws,” Popper wrote in February. “What is evident is that Rodgers wants to get the ball out quickly and avoid hits. He had the lowest time-to-throw in the NFL at 2.52 seconds. He was hit on 10.8 percent of his dropbacks, the fifth-lowest rate in the league.”
The Broncos remain confident in Nix’s return, and the Steelers–now helmed by former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy–continue to be the only other potential destination for Rodgers. That is, unless the Broncos increase their level of interest.
They would also have to admit that Nix would not be ready until some time into the regular season. The Broncos already have Jarrett Stidham and Sam Ehlinger on the roster behind Nix.
Broncos Could Sign MVP for Relative Bargain
Pittsburgh Steelers
GettyAaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers reacts against the Cleveland Browns.
Rodgers signed a one-year, $13.6 million contract with the Steelers, who replaced former Broncos QB Russell Wilson with him in free agency following the 2024 season. He has $315.9 million in career earnings, fifth-most in NFL history, per Spotrac.
Only Matthew Stafford, Tom Brady, Kirk Cousins, and Wilson have earned more.
Spotrac projected Rodgers’ market value to a one-year, $10.6 million contract. The Broncos have $18.8 million in space, per Over The Cap.
Florio noted that Rodgers would not get to face the Packers if [“a big if”] he signed with the Broncos in 2026, barring a Super Bowl run. However, he would get a chance to visit the Jets and the Steelers.