Aaron Rodgers says the 2026 NFL season will be his final one.
"Yes. This is it," Rodgers told reporters on Wednesday.
The Steelers will visit Baltimore in the Week 18 regular season finale, which will be Rodgers' last game if he does not have a change of heart, he's healthy enough to play, and the Steelers miss the playoffs.
The 42-year-old future Hall of Fame quarterback and four-time MVP is preparing for his 22nd NFL season. Rodgers said he considered retiring after former Steelers Head Coach Mike Tomlin resigned this offseason.
"I thought that was probably it for me in Pittsburgh," Rodgers said.
However, Rodgers had a change of heart after Pittsburgh hired Head Coach Mike McCarthy who coached Rodgers for 13 seasons with the Green Bay Packers. Rodgers won his only Super Bowl in Green Bay with McCarthy. They were in frequent communication, along with General Manager Omar Khan, before Rodgers signed a one-year contract and took the field for OTAs on Monday.
"When the decision was made to hire Mike, I started opening my mind back up to coming back," Rodgers said. "There was some doubt for sure, but I had some good conversations with Mike going back to when he was hired. I had a lot of conversations with Mike and Omar for awhile. I had a lot of conversations with my wife about it. After the draft, came to the conclusion that I wanted to play, I wanted to come back."
Rodgers won both games he started against the Ravens in 2025, including a victory in the regular season finale that decided the division title. In Week 13 at M&T Bank Stadium, Rodgers completed 23 of 34 passes for 284 yards and a touchdown as the Steelers prevailed, 27-22. In Week 18, Rodgers threw for a season-high 294 yards against Baltimore and completed the go-ahead touchdown pass to Calvin Austin III with 55 seconds to play.
The Steelers will have Rodgers for one more season, but according to him, 2026 will be his last ride.
