Andrew Buller-Russ
The Pittsburgh Steelers‘ patience is finally about to pay off.
For months, the Steelers have been awaiting Aaron Rodgers‘ decision about his future. He’s already played 21 seasons. Is the 42-year-old ready to suit up for a 22nd?
By all appearances, Rodgers is ready to end his vacation and re-sign with the Steelers, where he’ll reunite with former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy.
According to 93.7 The Fan, Rodgers is set to visit the Steelers on Thursday night. The “expectation” is that Rodgers will be signing a contract with Pittsburgh this weekend.
However, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Rodgers will be in Pittsburgh for “further discussion,” but his plan is to play for the Steelers in 2026.
The Steelers placed the rarely used unrestricted free-agent tender on Rodgers, ensuring a 10% raise over his $14.1 million salary in 2025. Other teams can make Rodgers an offer that can be matched by the Steelers, but aside from now-debunked rumors about the Cardinals, no other teams have been linked to the future Hall of Famer.
Exactly which further discussions are required is unknown, but as both sources allude to, Rodgers intends to play for the Steelers this season. After he helped the Steelers win 10 games in 2025, it’s no surprise that Pittsburgh waited patiently, opting against signing another free agent.
The Steelers did draft a QB, but they waited until the third round to select Penn State’s Drew Allar. While Allar has a chance at being the future solution, there’s no question that the team belongs to Rodgers now.
Related: 2026 NFL QB Rankings: From NFL’s Worst Starting QB to the Best
