Steelers Reportedly Remain Open to Retaining Aaron Rodgers for 2026 Season

Although it seems unlikely at this point for Aaron Rodgers to return for a second season in Pittsburgh because of coach Mike Tomlin’s departure, the Steelers reportedly remain open to retaining the quarterback for next season, ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared on Sunday.

This update on Rodgers’s future is based on the fact that the majority of Steelers players praised Rodgers in their exit interviews following the team’s wild-card loss to the Texans last week. It sounds like the team generally would love for the 42-year-old quarterback to return next season.

Schefter’s report on Sunday comes after NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Saturday that Rodgers was highly unlikely to return to the Steelers next season because of Tomlin leaving. Steelers owner Art Rooney II even said last week that “Aaron came here to play for Mike. I think it will affect his decision [about his future in Pittsburgh].”

Ultimately, this is a two-way decision. For starters, Rodgers needs to decide if he wants to return to Pittsburgh next season, or if he even wants to play again. There’s a chance he could retire this offseason. Then, on the flip side, the Steelers also must decide what direction they want to take with the quarterback position. Is it worth keeping Rodgers around for another year, if he’s open to it? Or should they move on to find another solution for the quarterback position?

Once Rodgers decides if he wants to retire or not, that will be when the Steelers can figure out what they want to do with the quarterback decision. We’ll see what happens with this situation over the coming months.

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