The Pittsburgh Steelers were left in a bit of limbo this offseason as Aaron Rodgers weighed his decision between retiring and returning to the Steelers in 2026. On Saturday, Rodgers and the Steelers agreed to a one-year deal worth north of $25 million, giving them a bridge at quarterback through at least 2026.
A few years ago, when Rodgers was finishing up his failed stint with the Jets, it appeared as if he might be done. However, with Pittsburgh, he found his love for the game again according to Albert Breer of Spirts Illustrated.
“It’s my belief that Rodgers is back in Pittsburgh because the Steelers helped him rekindle his love of football,” Breer wrote.
Breer went on to say that Rodgers had a ton of fun playing for Mike Tomlin in Pittsburgh last season and, even after Tomlin was fired this offseason, has a close connection with new head coach Mike McCarthy from their time together in Green Bay. Those factors all led Rodgers back to the field in 2026 for at least one more season under center.
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If Rodgers had chosen to retire, the Steelers would have been stuck between rookie Drew Allar and second-year quarterback Will Howard at quarterback. Howard has gotten a lot of work with the new staff while Rodgers was making his decision, but now it looks like he will settle into the role as the backup once again this season.
The future Hall of Famer isn't quite what he used to be in his MVP-winning days, but he was still productive last season for the Steelers. In 16 games in 2025, Rodgers completed nearly 66% of his passes for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns with just seven interceptions. The Steelers thrived on short passes, and will likely do so again this fall.
Rodgers will have increased weaponry to work with this fall after the Steelers traded for Colts wideout Michael Pittman Jr. this offseason. The addition of Pittman alongside DK Metcalf should give Pittsburgh some more explosiveness on the offensive side for Rodgers to utilize this fall.
The Pittsburgh Steelers were left in a bit of limbo this offseason as Aaron Rodgers weighed his decision between retiring and returning to the Steelers in 2026. On Saturday, Rodgers and the Steelers agreed to a one-year deal worth north of $25 million, giving them a bridge at quarterback through at least 2026.