It looks like Aaron Rodgers is done in Pittsburgh.
According to NFL insider Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Aaron Rodgers is not expected to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Rodgers becomes an unrestricted free agent this offseason. He signed with the Steelers last offseason to play for Mike Tomlin, who is no longer coaching Pittsburgh.
The Steelers lost to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card Round of the 2026 NFL playoffs. Rodgers, 42, could retire this offseason.
A future Hall of Famer, Rodgers finished with 3,322 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions this season. He completed 65.7% of his passes.
According to Mike DeFabo of The Athletic, Rodgers and T.J. Watt were devastated when Tomlin told them that he was stepping down as head coach of the Steelers. Watt and Rodgers cried and the latter kept yelling, "No."
The Steelers hired Tomlin in 2007. Tomlin went 193-113-2 in the regular season and 8-12 in the playoffs. He guided the franchise to the Super Bowl during the 2008 season.
"No one really saw it coming," another player said. "Did we have an inkling? There were rumblings, but we thought he would play out his contract, at least one more year. We all thought at least one more year."
"Every single player in that building wants to play for Mike T," said one player. "Were guys upset with coordinators? Yes. Was it the head guy? No."
It will be fascinating to see who replaces Tomlin in Pittsburgh. That guy will have huge shoes to fill.
Tomlin ranks ninth on the NFL’s all-time wins list and his .628 career winning percentage is 26th all-time. He led the Steelers to the playoffs in 13 of his 19 seasons and won eight AFC North titles, including this season.
"Mike T's had more success than damn-near anybody in the league for the last 19-20 years," Rodgers said after the Texans beat the Steelers. "More than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don't think about making a change."
According to DeFabo, Rodgers said "I'm sorry" to Tomlin multiple times during the meeting. It was certainly an emotional day for everyone.