The 2026 season will be Aaron Rodgers' last NFL campaign.
Aaron Rodgers told Pittsburgh Steelers reporters on Wednesday that he's retiring from the NFL after the 2026 season.
Rodgers has been in the NFL since 2005. He has played for the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Steelers.
According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Rodgers wanted a pay raise to return to the Steelers. The NFL legend got his wish, as his new contract with the Steelers is worth between $22 million and $23 million and his total earnings could reach $25 million if he hits all his incentives.
"Even though Rodgers, I'm told, isn't motivated by money at this stage, he played below market last year at around $14 million," Fowler said on SportsCenter, via Bleacher Report. "That did need to change, so they upped his coin a little bit. And the urgency of OTAs was a factor too because they're going to hit the field on Monday. The expectation is Aaron Rodgers will sign that deal over the next 24 to 36 hours, get on the field with his teammates, who still believe that Aaron Rodgers can get it done. That's part of this. The team is backing Rodgers. They like how he played last year. Rodgers feels like he's got something left. He loves Pittsburgh, loves his teammates, so the good vibes will continue."
One of the best quarterbacks in NFL history, Rodgers finished with 3,322 passing yards, 24 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions in 2025. He completed 65.7% of his passes.
The Steelers won the AFC North last season but lost to the Houston Texans at home in the wild-card round of the 2026 playoffs. Mike Tomlin stepped down as head coach and Rodgers' former coach, Mike McCarthy, was hired.
McCarthy and Rodgers won Super Bowl XLV against the Steelers as members of the Packers.
A four-time MVP and future Hall of Famer, Rodgers has 527 career passing touchdowns and 66,274 career passing yards in the regular season.
In Year 1 of the McCarthy era, the Steelers will face the Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New Orleans Saints, Browns, Bengals, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, Tennessee Titans and Ravens.
It's a good thing that Rodgers is back because had the NFL icon retired or signed with another team, the Steelers would have been left with Drew Allar, Will Howard and Mason Rudolph.
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