We’ve dealt with the weirdness of Aaron Rodgers being in a New York Jets uniform. Now we have a new team to add to Rodgers’ “legend in an unusual uniform at the end of his career” collection.
Rodgers agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, the team announced.
The contract parameters have been in place for months, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. Once the deal is finalized and Rodgers signs, he’ll be able to take the field with Pittsburgh.
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This ends a lengthy wait to see where Rodgers would play next, if anywhere, though recent weeks and developments cast Pittsburgh as the most likely destination, especially after the Steelers didn’t use a premium draft pick on a quarterback. (They did take Ohio State QB Will Howard in the sixth round.)
Rodgers visited the Steelers on March 28, which head coach Mike Tomlin called “productive.” The following week at the spring owners meetings, team president Art Rooney II was asked if Rodgers would sign with the team, and Rooney said things were “pointing in that direction.” There was no further word on it, though, until mid-April when Rodgers went on “The Pat McAfee Show” and didn’t sound committed to the Steelers or even playing football at all.
Aaron Rodgers’ legendary career is making its way to Pittsburgh. (Grant Thomas/Yahoo Sports)
He’s committed now, and he’ll join a Steelers team that’s made the playoffs in four of the past five years but lost in the wild-card round each time, and is still searching for a quarterback after Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement.
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In many ways, Rodgers will always be linked to his former Green Bay Packers teammate Brett Favre. And like Favre, Rodgers became a legend with the Packers, played briefly with the Jets, and now moves on to another team in his 40s.
Rodgers can only hope he has similar success to what Favre experienced with the Minnesota Vikings.
Aaron Rodgers finished well
Rodgers’ time with the Jets didn’t work out as anyone hoped.
In his first season there, Rodgers blew out his Achilles tendon on the first drive of the season. He recovered and came back to play in all 17 games. But those 17 games resulted in a 5-12 record, which led to the Jets firing their general manager and head coach, and announcing in February they’d be moving on from Rodgers.
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Within that five-win season was some hope that Rodgers still had something left for another season in 2025. He played pretty well late in the season, possibly because some early-season injuries hampered his play. Once healthier, Rodgers had 18 touchdowns, four interceptions and a 97 passer rating over New York’s final 10 games.
It wasn’t vintage Rodgers, who has won four NFL MVPs and a Super Bowl but as he entered free agency this offseason, teams could look at the tape and feel optimistic that he wasn’t finished.
Rodgers back for another season
Once Rodgers said he was interested in playing again, that opened up an interesting free agency for the all-time great quarterback.
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Before Rodgers joined the Steelers, Pittsburgh’s wide receiver room had a major alteration when the club traded No. 1 wideout George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys for draft picks. Rodgers was initially looking at a DK Metcalf-Pickens combination to be his primary pass catchers in the 2025 season.
The QB reportedly worked out with Metcalf this offseason in late March.
Rodgers will turn 42 years old on Dec. 2, but he has the pedigree of a no-doubt Hall of Fame player. No team would expect Rodgers to be an MVP quarterback again, but one last great season like Favre with the Vikings in 2009 didn’t seem to be an outlandish best-case scenario.
Rodgers has 62,952 passing yards, is one of five quarterbacks in the 500 touchdown club with 503 and his 102.6 passer rating is the all-time record among qualified passers. And now he’ll have at least one more season to add to his résumé.
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