Aaron Rodgers Says 2026 Will Be His Final NFL Season. The Steelers Are His Last Stop.
Aaron Rodgers is calling it. The Steelers quarterback announced Monday at his first press conference of the offseason that 2026 will be the final year of his 22-season NFL career.
“This is it,” Rodgers told reporters, settling in to a microphone at Steelers minicamp with the kind of grin he usually reserves for either ayahuasca anecdotes or coverage breakdowns.
The 42-year-old quarterback signed a one-year, $25 million deal to return to Pittsburgh, reuniting with head coach Mike McCarthy. McCarthy was hired in February after Mike Tomlin’s surprise departure to take a college job. Rodgers spent 13 seasons playing for McCarthy in Green Bay.
That coaching reunion was the deciding factor. Rodgers said publicly at the time of his signing that he had been leaning toward retirement after Tomlin left. McCarthy’s hire changed his mind.
So now we get the Aaron Rodgers farewell tour. A full season of touchdowns, vacation interviews, halftime studio shots of him with his mom, slow zoom-ins to him on the bench, NFL Films coverage of his last home game, and a likely playoff push in a competitive AFC North.
Pittsburgh is built to win now. The defense, led by TJ Watt and Cam Heyward, is still elite. The offensive line, rebuilt in the 2025 draft, is healthy. The running back room features Jaylen Warren and rookie Quinshon Judkins. Rodgers has weapons in DK Metcalf and George Pickens.
This is a 10-win roster on paper. Maybe better if Rodgers stays healthy.
The Vikings rumor mill kicked back up after Rodgers’s announcement. Multiple reports indicate Minnesota was Rodgers’ first choice during the 2025 free agency cycle but removed themselves from the running, leaving Pittsburgh and the Giants as his two real options. The retirement timing means Minnesota will not get a second shot at him.
What Rodgers leaves behind is a complicated legacy. Four MVPs. One Super Bowl. A reputation as one of the most accurate downfield throwers ever. A reputation as a hard-to-coach personality. A late-career stretch with the Jets that was derailed by an Achilles tear and a culture war.
The McCarthy reunion is interesting because it actually closes the loop on the relationship that defined Rodgers’s prime. The two had famous offensive disagreements in Green Bay. They split up after the 2018 season. Now they are back together for one final run, both older and presumably wiser.
Rodgers’s leverage as a free agent in 2027 would have been minimal. He picked a good landing spot, a familiar coach, and a contending roster. He is going to make $25 million for a year and have a real chance to leave the league as a Super Bowl champion for the second time.
The Steelers are happy. The McCarthy hire is justified. The AFC North is going to be must-watch all season.
Whether the goodbye tour ends in a parade through downtown Pittsburgh or a wild-card loss in Baltimore, this is the last Aaron Rodgers season. Buckle in.
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.
