The Pittsburgh Steelers are still waiting for Aaron Rodgers to decide whether he’ll return in 2026. If he does, NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero believes he’ll receive a nice pay bump from his 2025 contract. Appearing on The Rich Eisen Show, Pelissero said Rodgers’ contract should exceed $20 million for 2026.
“There is nothing that I have been told that makes me believe that the contract is going to be an issue with Aaron Rodgers. It’s going to be a one-year deal, it’s going to have a 2 in front of it, I believe. It’s a pretty straightforward type of thing because this is not about money for a player who’s made close to $400 million in his career.”
Last season, Rodgers signed a one-year deal worth $13.65 million, with $10 million guaranteed. He had the potential to earn up to $19.5 million in incentives on a deal that was below market value for quarterbacks. Rodgers outplayed his contract, and it makes sense he’d earn a little bit more in his second season with the Steelers.
The team placed the rare unrestricted free-agent tender on Rodgers. At a minimum, he would still get 10% more than the base of his 2025 contract, paying him close to $15 million. It seems likely that the two sides will negotiate a larger deal that Pelissero believes will exceed $20 million.
Of course, a lot goes into what he’s truly being paid. The contract could exceed $20 million, but it could be laden with incentives, and he could take less guaranteed with a base value around $20 million.
As Pelissero said, money isn’t an issue and isn’t causing the holdup in Rodgers’ decision. The Steelers will likely have no issue giving him a small raise after leading the team to an AFC North title in 2025. But Rodgers still isn’t likely to be paid close to the top of the quarterback market.
The Steelers still have plenty of room to fit Rodgers into their roster, and the contract won’t really matter much. At this point, getting him to decide, sign, and be in the building is what’s important. The longer that takes, the more frustration could build within the organization. But paying Rodgers doesn’t seem to be a tension point on either side, and that should make getting him signed much easier.
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