Steelers Players Found Out About Aaron Rodgers Returning Just Like the Rest of Us

The saga of waiting for Aaron Rodgers to make a decision about his NFL future finally came to an end on Saturday when it was announced he was returning to the Steelers on a one-year deal. The veteran quarterback officially signed the contract, which is worth up to $25 million, on Monday in Pittsburgh. Then, he participated in the team’s organized team activities.

Rodgers making his decision over the weekend was shocking to his Steelers’ teammates. Rodgers is known for being a secretive guy, and his teammates seem to be pretty used to his ways. A few players told the media on Monday after OTAs how they found out about Rodgers returning for another year. They found out about his Steelers status like the rest of us: while scrolling social media.

“He never told me anything. I learned from Twitter before he told me,” new Steelers receiver Michael Pittman Jr. said. “I had hope that he was coming back and had a good feeling about it. Aaron is going to do what Aaron wants to do, right?”

Pittman and Rodgers practiced together a bit this offseason before the quarterback made his decision. Rodgers threw his first OTA pass to Pittman on Monday, too. Pittman doesn’t seem too bothered about the way he found out Rodgers’s news.

First @AaronRodgers12 ➡️ @MikePitt_Jr connection 🙌 pic.twitter.com/a5hqcnfZST
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) May 18, 2026

“He made a couple of great throws. I was like, ‘Wow, I’m really playing with Aaron,’” Pittman added.

MORE SI: 2 Reasons Why Aaron Rodgers Will Lead Steelers to the Playoffs in 2026, and 3 Why He Won’t

Steelers offensive tackle Troy Fautanu also found out on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I opened the app and saw Pat McAfee post it, and I said, ‘Here we go,’” Fautanu said. “We all kind of found out at the same time.”

Steelers veteran linebacker Alex Highsmith wasn’t surprised to find out about Rodgers’s decision on social media—that’s just the type of “mysterious” guy the 42-year-old is.

“Shoot, that’s just who he is,” Highsmith said. “He’s mysterious, but he’s one heck of a teammate. It’s just who he is. He is a great dude. ...

“I saw the leaks of him being in Pittsburgh,” Highsmith continued. “I knew if he was here, that he was going to show up. I saw that he was spotted around and then saw the post.”

There really never was a doubt Rodgers would return to Pittsburgh for another season, even though he did take his sweet time, once again, to make it official.

Steelers’ updated quarterback depth chart

With Rodgers officially returning to the Steelers, the quarterback will be the starter for a second year in Pittsburgh. The question that now remains is who will be the backup quarterback and the third-string QB?

With all four quarterbacks—Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar—present at OTAs on Monday, we saw a glimpse of the quarterback order new Pittsburgh coach Mike McCarthy is envisioning for the team this season. Rodgers started, with Howard, Rudolph and Allar sitting behind him, in that order.

Last season, Rudolph sat in the backup position behind Rodgers as Howard didn’t get the opportunity to make his NFL debut during his rookie season because of injuries. Howard looks to be getting a better chance already ahead of his sophomore season. The Steelers drafted Allar last month, and it looks like he’ll need to earn his spot in the quarterback rotation this offseason.

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