He's not done yet.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers agreed to a one-year deal to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 22nd NFL season just ahead of the team's May 18 start to organized team activities, NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero reported Saturday. Pelissero added that Rodgers' deal includes $22 million guaranteed, and he can make up to $25 million in incentives.
Rodgers was reported to be visiting Pittsburgh last weekend with the likelihood of committing to play for the Steelers in 2026. It fittingly took another week to agree to terms, but Rodgers will indeed lead the Black and Gold for a second campaign.
Rodgers' decision at long last to keep his Hall of Fame career going gives him an opportunity to conclude his playing days in a familiar setting -- quarterbacking a Mike McCarthy-led team.
As has become the norm for Rodgers over the last half decade or so, the process of if he would suit up again was a long one, full of ups and downs regarding the likelihood he'd hang it up or not.
Last year, after he waited until the calendar turned to June to sign with the Steelers, Rodgers said he was "pretty sure" the 2025 campaign would be his last. During the season, the tea leaves regarding whether he'd stick to that proclamation seemed to change based on the team's success, with the Steelers enduring a topsy-turvy year that included cratering from a 4-1 start to a .500 record through 12 games, only to turn it around for a 10-win season and their first AFC North title since 2020.
The Steelers were said to be open to bringing Rodgers back ahead of their wild-card game against the Houston Texans. However, Pittsburgh was promptly walloped by Houston, and Mike Tomlin -- the coach Rodgers was motivated to come play for in the first place -- stepped down after 19 years with the organization shortly thereafter.
It seemed that could be the end of prognosticating a Round 2 for Rodgers in the Steel City, but less than two weeks later, the Steelers filled their head coaching vacancy by hiring McCarthy, who coached Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers from 2006-2018 and together won Super Bowl XLV over Pittsburgh in 2011.
A Rodgers return was suddenly back on the table, and the Steelers certainly operated like a team planning -- or at least hoping -- for him to suit up again. They forewent chasing another veteran QB in free agency, sticking with Will Howard and Mason Rudolph, and used a third-round draft pick on Drew Allar, who could grow into the signal-caller of the future but will take some development. Shortly after the draft, the Steelers placed an unrestricted free agent tender on Rodgers, allowing him to accept a 10 percent raise from his 2025 salary but also protecting themselves if Rodgers still had the team in limbo by the start of training camp, at which point Pittsburgh would own exclusive negotiating rights.
Rodgers has made his decision before then, setting him up to helm the Steelers' AFC North title defense in his age-43 season.
With the big question of whether he'd come back to the Steelers out of the way, now it's a question of how much more he can elevate them.
Rodgers was fairly inconsistent in 2025. He failed to log a single 300-yard passing game and, including the playoff loss, threw for 200 yards or less in seven outings. His 3,322 passing yards marked a career low outside any injury-shortened seasons as a starter, as did his 24 touchdowns, though he remained characteristically protective of the ball, throwing just seven interceptions.
No longer fleet of foot like he was in his younger days, Rodgers completed only 39.3% of his attempts under pressure, per Next Gen Stats. He also targeted players below 10 air yards on 71.5% of his attempts in general, the highest rate of any QB over the past three seasons, likely a byproduct of knowing evading a rush once it got close to home was a decreasing likelihood.
Regardless, Rodgers led the Steelers to an AFC North title. He provided veteran leadership in the locker room and looked vintage in the regular-season finale, orchestrating two go-ahead drives in the fourth quarter, including one he punctuated with the game-winning 26-yard touchdown pass in a winner-take-all game for the division against the Baltimore Ravens.
He earned any successes without a ton of help around him, too. The Steelers offered little to threaten a defense at wide receiver outside DK Metcalf, and their rushing attack finished 26th in the league.
Gone is running back Kenneth Gainwell, Rodgers' favorite dump-off target, but Pittsburgh still laid a stronger foundation for Rodgers to build on next season. The Steelers signed Rico Dowdle to reintroduce some signature grit to the backfield alongside Jaylen Warren and traded for Michael Pittman, a possession receiver who is perfectly suited for Rodgers' underneath passes. In the draft, they added some beef up front on Day 1 by taking offensive tackle Max Iheanachor, then double dipped at wide receiver by moving up in the second round for Germie Bernard and grabbing Kaden Wetjen in the fourth.
While the Steelers again delayed turning their hopes over to a younger QB by keeping the franchise in Rodgers' hands, they have a potential succession in place with Allar on the roster -- or even Howard, a 2025 sixth-rounder, if he proves better up to the task.
For 2026, though, it's full speed ahead with Rodgers to begin a new era, Pittsburgh's first year with a new head coach since 2007.
The ceiling toward the end of Tomlin's tenure was a frustrating reality. The Steelers never endured a losing season under him, but have lost six straight playoff games and haven't escaped the Wild Card Round since the 2017 campaign.
Rodgers felt that sting last season with them.
Now, Pittsburgh is pinning its hopes on Rodgers and McCarthy turning back the clock for a deep playoff run, this time for the club the two dispatched to capture a Lombardi Trophy 15 years ago.