Updated / Friday, 6 Jun 2025 08:29
Aaron Rodgers will wear black and gold for his 21st season in the NFL, after the Pittsburgh Steelers agreed to terms with the four-time MVP quarterback on a one-year contract.
The club confirmed the deal - which isn't official pending a physical - late Thursday night.
Rodgers, 41, reportedly plans to fly to Pittsburgh to sign the contract and intends to participate in the Steelers' mandatory minicamp next week.
The Steelers, the NFL team in greatest need of a quarterback, will open the 2025 season on the road against Rodgers' former team, the New York Jets, on 7 September, and Rodgers will likely start opposite Pittsburgh's Week 1 starter last season, Justin Fields, who joined the Jets in free agency.
The Steelers will also play the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park on 28 September in the first regular-season NFL game to be held in Ireland.
Before Rodgers' long-expected agreement, Mason Rudolph was the presumed starter for the Steelers. Rudolph returned to the Steelers after one season with the Tennessee Titans.
Pittsburgh moved on from Russell Wilson, who replaced Fields seven games into the 2024 regular season. Wilson is now a member of the New York Giants, and he is expected to be their starter.
Rodgers comes to Pittsburgh after two disappointing seasons with the Jets. He sustained a season-ending torn Achilles tendon on the fourth play of the 2023 season, his first with with the team, and the Jets went 5-12 behind Rodgers in 2024, causing the franchise to clean house.
The 10-time Pro Bowler who won a Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers in 2011 had also been linked to Green Bay's divisional rival, the Vikings, who instead will move forward with JJ McCarthy under centre.