Aaron Rodgers is officially gearing up for his final NFL season.
After re-signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this month, the 42-year-old quarterback told reporters Wednesday that he would retire after the 2026 campaign.
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“This is it,” Rodgers said, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.
This isn’t the first time that Rodgers has openly contemplated walking away from the NFL. Last year, after joining the Steelers in June, he said he was “pretty sure” that 2025 would be his last season. That apparently seemed more likely when Pittsburgh and head coach Mike Tomlin parted ways, but the team hiring his former coach Mike McCarthy reopened the door.
“I thought that was probably it for me in Pittsburgh,” Rodgers said about Tomlin stepping down. “But when the decision was made to hire Mike (McCarthy), I started opening my mind back up to coming back.”
The hiring of McCarthy, along with a one-year salary worth up to $25 million, was enough to get him back on the field.
McCarthy and Rodgers were paired up with the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018, winning the Super Bowl in 2010 (over the Steelers). Brett Favre was the starter in 2006 and 2007 before Rodgers took over, winning MVP awards for McCarthy in 2011 and 2014.
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After McCarthy was fired in 2018, Rodgers stayed in Green Bay for four more seasons and won two MVPs playing for Matt LaFleur. He then joined the New York Jets for 2023 and 2024, losing the first season due to injury and going 5-12 in the second, before signing with Pittsburgh last year.
The Steelers went 10-7 last season under Rodgers and Tomlin, making the playoffs but losing in the wild card round for the third straight year.
Now, Rodgers’ 22nd and final season offers one last chance at extending some records and aiming to win a second title. The oldest player in the NFL, he sits fifth all-time in passing yards (5,564 behind Favre in fourth), fifth all-time in completions (429 behind Favre in fourth) and fourth all-time in passing touchdowns (12 behind Payton Manning in third).
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