The Pittsburgh Steelers and veteran QB Aaron Rodgers are finalizing a 1 year deal to return to the team in 2026. The expectation is that Rodgers will be in attendance at OTA’s on Monday.
The deal is believed to be worth $22M with another $3M available if all incentives are reached. While the 42 year old flirted with the idea of retirement in the offseason, both he and the Steelers were in constant communication over the spring, with team insiders operating under the assumption that he would be the teams QB1 for the past several weeks.
Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards and 24 TDs against 7 interceptions last season. While those numbers are a far cry from his MVP years, they remain the best option inside the Steelers QB room if the team hopes to compete in 2026.
Pittsburgh will have Mason Rudolph serve as back up for Rodgers this year, while Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar will compete for the QB3 role. The signing adds stability to the position for one more year, but does little to address the team’s ongoing search for a franchise signal caller.
Since Ben Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 campaign, the team has cycled through Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Rudolph, Russell Wilson, Justin Fields, and Rodgers. That could change in 2027 when there’s expected to be an exceptionally strong quarterback class declaring for the NFL Draft. But for now, Rodgers will serve as a high floor, low ceiling option under centre to guide the team through another season.
This year will mark the first time Rodgers and new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy have played together since 2018 in Green Bay. When asked at his introductory press conference about wanting to reunite with the mercurial passer, McCarthy told reporters “I don’t see why you wouldn’t… I was able to sit back and watch the games, watched most of the Pittsburgh games on TV, and I thought he was a great asset for the team.”
Ironically the Steelers will take on the Packers in their first preseason game of 2026 on August 13th at 7pm ET which will be Rodgers first opportunity to hit the field again with Pittsburgh.
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