Aaron Rodgers to Retire Following 2026 NFL Season
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers revealed to reporters on Wednesday that the upcoming 2026 NFL season will be his last in the National Football League.
Yes, this is it."
"Yes, this is it," the football legend told reporters when asked if this would be his final season in the NFL. At 42, Rodgers is the oldest player in the league.
Rodgers, the four-time NFL MVP and one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, re-signed with the Steelers on Monday to a one-year, $22 million deal with up to $3 million in incentives to return to the Steelers for a second season, which will be his 22nd NFL season.
After longtime Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin resigned from the team during the offseason, Pittsburgh hired Mike McCarthy as the team's new head coach. McCarthy, who was Rodgers' head coach in Green Bay for many years when Rodgers starred for the Packers, kept an open line of communication with Rodgers through the entire offseason. In the end, Rodgers decided to commit to the team for one more year, but it will be his last.
Aaron Rodgers Confirms 2026 Season Will Be His Last
Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Rodgers admitted that he thought he was retiring after one lone season with the Steelers. But when the team hired McCarthy to be its head coach, he decided to come back for one more year.
"Yeah, I love my team, and I really appreciate the opportunity to come in last year, and I loved my experience with (Tomlin). I thought when he said he was stepping away, that was an emotional moment just because we love him so much and care about him. I thought that was probably it for me in Pittsburgh. But when the decision was made to hire Mike (McCarthy), I started opening my mind up to coming back," Rodgers said.
Related: Mike McCarthy Sends Confident Message on Aaron Rodgers' Future
In Rodgers' first year in Pittsburgh, he started 16 games, going 10-6 for the team, while posting an impressive 94.8 passer rating with 3322 passing yards and 24 touchdown passes. Rodgers helped guide the Steelers back to the playoffs after they beat the rival Baltimore Ravens in a pivotal Week 18 matchup, earning them the AFC North division crown in the process.
But the Steelers got blown out by the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round, losing 30-6, and putting doubts in the minds of Steelers fans if their legendary QB would return. In the end, though, the allure of playing with McCarthy again was too much for Rodgers to pass up, and he will play in one more season for the black and yellow.
Steelers Will Need to Find QB of the Future
With Rodgers making it known this season will be his last, the Steelers will need to find their QB of the future.
Last season, the Steelers used a sixth-round pick on Will Howard, the former Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback. Howard, however, did not play at all last year after breaking his hand during the preseason. The team used him as their emergency third QB behind Rodgers and backup Mason Rudolph, but Howard never got into a game.
This season, the Steelers used a third-round pick on Drew Allar of the Penn State Nittany Lions. The Steelers believe in his potential, and he will get a chance to show it in training camp this year. He could end up being the team's QB of the future, but it is too soon to say.
When you lose someone like Rodgers, it is hard to replace them. The Steelers are going to need to do everything they can to find their QB of the future, so that once Rodgers hangs up his cleats for good, they have someone in place to help lead them back to postseason glory going forward. Perhaps that could be Howard or Allar, but it is far too early to determine that.
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This story was originally published May 20, 2026 at 4:03 PM.