Aaron Rodgers's Final NFL Contract: Bonuses, Incentives for the Steelers’ QB

Pittsburgh is bringing the four-time MVP back for one last ride. Here’s a look at how Rodgers can earn his contract's maximum value.

Aaron Rodgers re-signed with the Steelers on Monday. | Barry Reeger-Imagn Images

Aaron Rodgers is officially back with the Steelers for the 2026 season, setting up what is expected to be a retirement tour after he told reporters on Wednesday that “this is it” when asked whether this would be his final NFL campaign.

The 42-year-old appeared right back at home this week—both on the practice field at Pittsburgh’s facility and alongside coach Mike McCarthy, with whom he spent 13 seasons working under in Green Bay. Now set to give it one final run, Rodgers has signed a one-year pact with the Steelers for the coming season.

RELATED: Ranking the Steelers’ 2027 QB Options After Aaron Rodgers’s Retirement Announcement

Sports Illustrated has obtained the full breakdown of Rodgers’s contract for 2026, outlining how the quarterback can earn the deal’s maximum value of $25 million. Here’s a complete look at the details.

Aaron Rodgers contract: How four-time MVP can earn his full

Aaron Rodgers signed a one-year contract with the Steelers this week. | Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

• Rodgers' base salary, which is fully-guaranteed, is $22 million.

• Rodgers gets a $250,000 roster bonus for being on the 90-man on August 7, and another $250,000 roster bonus for being on the team (active or inactive) for the first regular-season game.

• Then, he's got $2.5 million in playoff incentives, all of which require him to play 75% of the Steelers' regular-season snaps. He gets $625,000 if he plays at least half the offensive snaps of a wild-card round win, or the Steelers get a first-round bye. It'd be another $625,000 for a divisional round win, another $625,000 for an AFC title game win, and another $625,000 for a Super Bowl win, with the same requirement on each that he plays half the Steelers' offensive snaps.

• That brings the max to $25 million, if he plays at least 75% of the team's regular-season snaps on offense, and the Steelers win the Super Bowl, with Rodgers taking at least half the snaps of each playoff win.

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