Aaron Rodgers finally said the words everyone has been waiting on.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback told reporters this week that the 2026 NFL season will be his last. When asked directly if this would be it, Rodgers responded with two words: “This is it.” The four-time MVP turns 43 in December and just signed a one-year deal worth up to $25 million to reunite with head coach Mike McCarthy in Pittsburgh.
That ends one of the longest-running guessing games in football. Rodgers has flirted with retirement for years. Now there is a finish line.
How McCarthy Got Him to Come Back
Rodgers admitted he thought he was done in Pittsburgh after Mike Tomlin resigned following the team’s wild-card loss to the Houston Texans in January. The Steelers hired McCarthy, the man who coached Rodgers for 13 seasons in Green Bay, and the calculus changed.
After conversations with owner Art Rooney II, McCarthy, and his wife, Rodgers decided to give it one more shot. He made the final call after the NFL Draft. The reunion is poetic. McCarthy was the head coach for Rodgers’ lone Super Bowl ring back in February 2011. They are trying to chase one more.
Can the Steelers Actually Compete?
Pittsburgh has the AFC North to deal with first. The Ravens are still a problem. The Bengals still have Joe Burrow. The Browns are sorting out a Deshaun Watson and Shedeur Sanders quarterback battle. Nothing in that division is easy.
Rodgers still has weapons though. The Steelers have one of the best defenses in the league. They run the ball with conviction. And tight end Pat Freiermuth just restructured his contract to give the team more cap flexibility. If Rodgers stays healthy and McCarthy installs an offense that actually plays to his strengths, the Steelers can be dangerous.
The Hall of Fame Resume Is Already Locked
Rodgers will end his career with four MVPs, a Super Bowl ring, and a body of work that puts him in the conversation with Brady, Manning, and Mahomes. His statistical record is otherworldly. The next year will be about the chase, not the legacy.
This is the last time Rodgers will throw the football for real money. NFL fans should not waste it. Even at 42, he can still make throws nobody else on Earth can make. Pittsburgh has 17 chances to give him a proper sendoff.
The countdown clock is on.
A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
