The 2025 season may not be Aaron Rodgers’ last dance, after all.
While Rodgers has previously alluded to this likely being the last season of his career, NFL Media has reported that Rodgers is open to possibly returning to Pittsburgh for the 2026 season. If Rodgers does decide to continue playing, the Steelers would welcome him back, per the report.
Rodgers, 42, has had a largely successful first season with the Steelers, who will host the Houston Texans in Monday night in the weekend’s final wild card game. Rodgers went 10-6 as Pittsburgh’s starter this season while helping the Steelers capture their first AFC North division title since 2020. Monday night will mark the Steelers’ first home playoff game since that 2020 season.
Rodgers’ reportedly being open to another season in Pittsburgh shouldn’t come as a surprise. He has been open about how much he has enjoyed this past season after enduring two turbulent seasons with the New York Jets. Rodgers has specifically been vocal about how much he has enjoyed playing for Mike Tomlin, who played an integral role in Rodgers coming to Pittsburgh last season when retirement was on the table.
“I’ve enjoyed my time with Mike immensely,” Rodgers said last week. “Mike is a phenomenal leader. He’s great in front of the room. We have our meetings on Wednesdays and Thursday mornings with quarterbacks that are really, really helpful. Seeing his perspective on the plan, on the opponent, every single week. So, it’s been a great experience. I really appreciate Mike. And yeah, I’m just thankful that he was a part of bringing me here.”
If Rodgers comes back, the Steelers are set up to build a stronger roster around him. The Steelers are slated to have as many as 12 picks in the upcoming NFL Draft, which will be held in Pittsburgh for the first time. Pittsburgh is expected to focus on strengthening its receiving corps and could possibly use a high draft pick to select one. USC’s Makai Lemon and Ohio State’s Carnell Tate are two possible options if the Steelers chose to use a first-round pick on a receiver.
Regardless of what Rodgers does, don’t be surprised if the Steelers make upgrades at quarterback, too. While the team appears to like rookie Will Howard’s upside, Pittsburgh may be compelled to use some of its draft picks in order to move up to select one of the draft’s top-ranked quarterback prospects that includes Oregon’s Dante Moore, Alabama’s Ty Simpson and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza.
For now, though, Rodgers and the Steelers’ primary focus is on Monday night’s game against a Texans team that finished the regular season with nine straight wins. Houston’s success has been largely due to a defense that allowed the second-fewest points in the NFL during the regular season.
“It feels good to be back,” Rodgers said about being back in the playoffs for the first time since 2021. “That’s why you play. You want to be playing meaningful football late in the season. And we put ourselves in that position.
“I think some of it’s embracing the way the season has gone. At 6-6, there are a lot of people thinking we were going to be kind of stumbling to the finish, and then who knows what was going to happen? A lot of you probably in this group, either publicly or privately, we’re talking about Mike T getting axed. So, it feels good to shut all those comments down. Clean the slate. Now, anybody can make a run. You know, it’s the hottest team. We’ve won four out of five. We’re playing a lot better football than we were earlier in the season. I like our chances.”
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