Steelers’ Rodgers will retire after 2026 season: ‘This is it’

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers told reporters Wednesday that he will retire after the 2026 season.

“Yes. This is it,” Rodgers said when asked if this will be his last year, according to The Athletic’s Mike DeFabo.

Rodgers officially re-signed with the Steelers on Monday on a one-year deal reportedly worth up to $25 million. He immediately joined his teammates on the practice field and has participated in OTAs this week.

The upcoming campaign will mark Rodgers’ 22nd NFL season. He entered the league as a first-round pick in 2005 and is the oldest active player in the NFL at 42 years old.

Rodgers is fourth on the NFL’s all-time passing touchdown list and can surpass Peyton Manning for third if he throws 13 touchdowns this season. He’s also fifth on the all-time passing yards list, and his four MVP awards are the second most in league history.

The Cal product spent the first 18 years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, helping lead the franchise to a victory in Super Bowl XLV. In Pittsburgh, Rodgers will play under Mike McCarthy, who coached him in Green Bay for 13 years.

Rodgers said the Steelers’ hiring of McCarthy as longtime coach Mike Tomlin’s replacement was a major factor in his decision to return in 2026.

“When (Tomlin) said he was stepping away … I thought that was probably it for me in Pittsburgh,” Rodgers said Wednesday, according to Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “When the decision was made to hire Mike, I started to open my mind back up to coming back.”

Rodgers started 16 games in his first season with the Steelers in 2025, posting a 10-6 record with 3,332 passing yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.

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