Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is officially back with the team, but this time he is adamant that it is his last ride.
Rodgers met with the media Wednesday for the first time since rejoining the Steelers and discussed his decision to return. He also made an unambiguous statement about his future.
When asked if 2026 will be Rodgers’ final NFL season, he made clear that it would be, and he will retire at the end of the year.
“Yes. This is it,” Rodgers said.
Aaron Rodgers asked if this is last year: "Yes. This is it." https://t.co/VeIC3W3TUw
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 20, 2026
Rodgers said last season that he thought 2025 would be his last year, but obviously changed his mind. Even then, though, he left the door open a crack to one more comeback, and was never as unambiguous as he was on Wednesday.
The veteran quarterback admitted he was swayed when the team hired Mike McCarthy as head coach, which caused him to consider returning after all.
Aaron Rodgers says he thought he was done in Pittsburgh once Mike Tomlin walked away: "I thought that was probably it for me in Pittsburgh. But when the decision was made to hire Mike, I started opening my mind back up to coming back."
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) May 20, 2026
There is nothing particularly shocking about Rodgers deciding to call it a career. He turns 43 in December and has flirted with retirement on and off for four years now. Still, he has never been this definitive about his intentions.
Rodgers started 16 games for the Steelers last season, throwing for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns.
