Rodgers re-signing – Aaron Rodgers is poised to re-sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers for a 22nd NFL season, extending his career after a first-year run that delivered an AFC North title and a playoff berth. The decision comes alongside a coaching reunion with Mike McCarthy, while
Aaron Rodgers’ time in Pittsburgh is expected to stretch into a 22nd NFL season, a move that would keep the quarterback in the lineup as he chases more milestones and builds on a first year that ended with an AFC North division title.
Rodgers, 42, had floated the idea last summer that the 2025 season could be his last. Instead, he led the Steelers to the AFC North title and a playoff berth in his first season with the team, a run that ended when Pittsburgh fell 30-6 to its opponent on Jan. 12.
On Saturday, multiple reports indicated Rodgers would re-sign with the Steelers.. The key thread running through the decision is a familiar face in the coaching staff: Mike McCarthy.. Pittsburgh is bringing McCarthy in for his first season as head coach. and he previously coached Rodgers for 13 seasons in Green Bay until 2018.
Rodgers’ deal is also expected to keep him near the top of the quarterback record book.. He has earned 10 Pro Bowl honors, and his four NFL Most Valuable Player awards rank behind only Peyton Manning.. He is tied for first all-time in passer rating, sits fourth in passing touchdowns, and is fifth in passing yards.
His contract with Pittsburgh had been set to run for one season, with the understanding that he could retire after 2025.. That would have made him a free agent for the second consecutive offseason.. During last year’s deliberations. Rodgers’ decision-making was shaped in part by his trust in Steelers coach Mike Tomlin; after Tomlin stepped away in January. the team hired McCarthy. a move that brought the quarterback back into the orbit of a coach he has known since 2006.
Rodgers has spoken publicly about that relationship with warmth while still leaving the door cracked on retirement.. In March. he told ESPN that McCarthy was “one of the great guys in the league” and that. “deep down. there’s so much love and appreciation for the time we spent together.” Even then. Rodgers said he had not made a decision about whether to continue playing.
For many fans. what makes the prospect of another season more than a simple career extension is Rodgers’ unusual ability to avoid turnovers.. One of his strengths has been how rarely he has turned the ball over compared with other high-usage quarterbacks of his era.. Despite attempting 8. 743 passes—sixth-most in league history—he threw interceptions on only 1.4% of them. a rate that ties for the best all-time.
His production in a standout season also remains a measuring stick.. In 2020, Rodgers led the NFL with 48 touchdown passes and a 70.7 completion percentage.. That year, he also courted controversy.. When asked whether he was vaccinated against Covid-19 during the 2020 season. Rodgers told reporters he had been “immunized.” After he later tested positive and was sidelined by the NFL. he faced widespread criticism.. He later told biographer Ian O’Connor that “if there’s one thing I wish could have gone different. it’s that. because that’s the only thing (that critics) could hit me with.”
Off the field, Rodgers’ name has also drawn attention for eccentricities, including his use of psychedelics such as ayahuasca and a 2023 sensory-deprivation retreat in near-total darkness in Oregon.
The broader context for Pittsburgh’s risk-and-reward bet goes back to his exit from Green Bay.. Green Bay drafted Rodgers’ successor at quarterback, and Rodgers was traded to the Jets.. In his Jets debut drive, he suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon.. The Jets went 5-12 in 2024. and new leadership told Rodgers he wouldn’t be returning; he then signed with Pittsburgh after spending months deciding whether to retire or play a 21st season.
Rodgers signed with Pittsburgh as the league’s oldest active player—a distinction that was briefly usurped by the late-season return of 44-year-old Philip Rivers.. With the Steelers, he threw for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns, his fewest since injury-shortened years in 2020 and 2017.. Still. a touchdown with a minute remaining in the regular-season finale against Baltimore helped Pittsburgh win its first division title since 2020. and it secured Rodgers’ first postseason appearance since 2021.
The pattern is tightly drawn between decisions and outcomes: Rodgers opened the possibility of retirement in 2025. then pushed into a season that ended with an AFC North title and a playoff berth on Jan.. 12. and now the re-signing decision is being paired with a coaching reunion that had already taken shape when Tomlin stepped away and McCarthy arrived.
In October, Rodgers also addressed his relationship with Green Bay, saying he harbored no ill will toward the organization. “I’ll retire a Packer and see what happens after that,” Rodgers said. “I’ve got a lot of love for the organization, my time there.”
Aaron Rodgers Pittsburgh Steelers Mike McCarthy NFL AFC North 2025 season Pro Bowl MVP play-offs