Aaron Rodgers eyes a 2026 playoff run after solidifying his Pittsburgh stay, rekindling a championship-winning partnership with Mike McCarthy.
The seemingly annual “Where Will Aaron Rodgers sign?” saga came to an early end this year, as the quarterback has agreed on a new one-year deal to remain with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It’s long been expected that this would be the case, but the Steelers and their dedicated fans can finally breathe a sign of relief now that the expectation is a reality.
For more on the details of the agreement and what the signing means for Pittsburgh and their 2026 possibilities, Steelers Roundtable writer Greg Liodice broke down the implications.
The return to Pittsburgh will allow for optimism for a club that saw a first-round exit during last year’s postseason.
After losing 30-6 against the Houston Texans, Pittsburgh and longtime head coach Mike Tomlin (who never had a losing season in his 19 years coaching the team) parted ways and the Steelers hired former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy.
Rodgers and McCarthy now reunite in Pittsburgh as the club eyes a return to the playoffs in 2026. A win for the organization that sees this as an opportunity to not lose a step despite the amount of offseason change it experienced.
League-wide, this is a major win for the NFL which selected the Steelers to compete on the world’s stage this year.
Pittsburgh and the New Orleans Saints will face off in the first ever NFL matchup hosted in Paris, France. The NFL gets to continue expanding its International footprint with the help of a globally recognizable player sharing the title card.
The last time McCarthy and Rodgers were together was McArthy’s final year in Green Bay, 2018.
The Packers finished with a 6-9-1 record while the quarterback threw for 4,442 passing yards, 25 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions while completing 62.3% of his passes and notching a 97.6 passer rating.
The two won a Super Bowl championship together during the 2011-2012 season.