Aaron Rodgers tells the Steelers world he’s done after 2026, saying “This is it” as he returns for a one-year deal and points to his reunion with first-year coach Mike McCarthy as a key influence.
PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers didn’t sound rushed when he answered the question. On Wednesday, when the four-time NFL MVP was asked if this would be his final year, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback didn’t hedge.
“This is it.”
Rodgers is 42 years old. and he confirmed publicly that he’s aiming to run it back for one more season — while making it clear he won’t play a 23rd. He didn’t spell out what changed in his thinking as he reached that conclusion. Instead, he leaned into the moment that brought him back: the chance to work again with a familiar face.
Those first comments came after Rodgers signed a one-year deal to return to the Steelers on Monday, his first public words since the move. Wednesday’s message was short on details about the future and heavy on the present, beginning with his reunion with first-year Steelers coach Mike McCarthy.
Rodgers spent 13 seasons with McCarthy in Green Bay, and he pointed directly to McCarthy’s hiring as a major factor in his decision to come back for 2025 — one last run. McCarthy, who previously worked with Rodgers for more than a decade, is now Mike Tomlin’s replacement in Pittsburgh.
“It is like a (bunch of) ‘pinch me’ moments that have happened in the last few days,” Rodgers said after the second day of Pittsburgh’s voluntary organized team activities.
McCarthy and Rodgers won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay after the 2010 season. The connection didn’t fade once their careers moved on to different chapters. Rodgers said they stayed in frequent contact over the winter and into the spring while he weighed one central question: whether he wanted to put his body through another 17-game grind.
In the end, he made his call — and he did it with a rare kind of control in mind. Rodgers is returning for the season ahead, but he’s also targeting the rarest of exits: the one he can dictate on his own terms.
The stakes of that choice are already clear in how he framed it. After spending time deciding he wanted to come back for a 22nd season, he has now drawn a line at 2026 — and he sounded convinced when he said there won’t be a 23rd.
Aaron Rodgers Steelers Mike McCarthy voluntary organized team activities NFL MVP 2026 final season Green Bay Packers Mike Tomlin replacement