Aaron Rodgers thought 2025 was likely his last season in the NFL.
He may be wrong. After throwing for 3,322 yards and a 24-7 TD-INT ratio while helping the Steelers win the AFC North, the four-time NFL MVP is mulling a 22nd year in pro football. It may be with the Steelers, or it may not.
"Free agency starts in a week. ... I've talked to (Steelers coach) Mike (McCarthy), I've talked to (Steelers general manager) Omar (Khan). There's been no deadline that's been put in front of me," Rodgers said during a Wednesday appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. "There's no contract offer or anything. So there's nothing I'm having to debate between. I'm a free agent. Again, I'm enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the offseason. I think there's conversations to be had down the line. But right now, I'm not... There hasn't been any progressive conversations."
Following two trying seasons in New York, Rodgers seemed exhausted but also unwilling to walk away from football without giving it one more go elsewhere. He engaged in a protracted courtship with Pittsburgh before eventually signing with the Steelers, solidifying an perennially unstable situation at the position for at least one year. Draped in black and gold, Rodgers embarked on a campaign that ended with a division title won in Week 18 and a wild-card appearance in which Rodgers finally showed his age against a relentless Houston Texans defense.
In total, the season-long performance was good enough to justify another season. A stunning development followed, though, when coach Mike Tomlin stepped down after 19 seasons at the helm of the Steelers, causing many to wonder if that also meant Rodgers -- who repeatedly pointed toward Tomlin as a key reason for his move to Pittsburgh -- would also move on from the Steelers in 2026.
Pittsburgh responded by hiring Rodgers' former coach, McCarthy, in a move that some saw as an effort to retain the 42-year-old signal caller.
"I love Mike, and Mike and I have kept in contact over the years," Rodgers explained. "I've had conversations with Omar. I think Omar enjoyed having me there. I think the guys had a positive response to our time together. But again, there hasn't been any deadline set on me, there hasn't been any contract floated in front of me for me to, like, 'Well, we're giving you to March 8 to make a decision on this contract.' There's been nothing to that respect. … Interested in what the conversations will be, but there hasn't been any progression when it comes to that."
Steelers president Art Rooney II later stated Rodgers' future "did not weigh heavily in the decision" to hire McCarthy. Khan, meanwhile, told reporters in Indianapolis last week he does not expect the path toward a decision to be nearly as long as it was in 2025.
"I think the circumstances are a little different, but just conversations we've had, I don't think either side wants to have this drag on like it did last year," Khan said on Feb. 24.
The Steelers owe it to themselves to determine their path forward without allowing Rodgers to dictate a timeline. Outside of 2025 Day 3 selection Will Howard, Pittsburgh lacks a long-term prospect and will be in the market at the position again next year unless the Steelers instead attract the services of impending free agents Malik Willis or Kyler Murray next week.
The new league year, when free agents can officially sign with teams, begins on March 11 at 4 p.m. ET, while the negotiating window opens two days prior on March 9.
Rodgers, meanwhile, understands that even at 42 years old, he still holds some leverage. He's not one who is easily rushed into any decision and won't change now.
If he does return to the Steelers, though, he's approaching it on a much more positive note than how he handled the end of McCarthy's time with Rodgers in Green Bay.
"Mike's one of the great guys in the league. Just absolutely an exceptional human being with a huge heart," Rodgers said. "We had a lot of good years together. A lot of fun. He really cares about the players. But he also holds guys accountable and creates a lot of structure and details in the process. But, man, I loved my time with Mike over the years."
We'll see if that time includes one more season spent together in a new setting.
