The Pittsburgh Steelers finally have their quarterback. After months of speculation and back-and-forth, Aaron Rodgers is in the building.
It always felt like his return was imminent, but nothing was official until he finally put pen to paper.
Rodgers confirmed that he wouldn’t put the team through this again next year, though, revealing that this would be his final season in the National Football League.
He thought things through and realized that he wanted to play for a little longer, mostly because he felt this team was pretty close to contention.
Aaron Rodgers says the Steelers were “close” last season
“I think we were close last year,” the quarterback said. “We added some good pieces. I felt like we needed a lineman probably at some point, drafted a guy in the first round that I like. I thought we needed somebody who could work in the slot. Obviously, Germie [Bernard], being picked there, is a guy they think can do it. Bring in [Michael] Pittman, was obviously a good addition. Rico Dowdle, Jamel [Dean] on defense. [Jaquan] Brisker as well, so a lot of good pieces added to the mix.”
Rodgers is setting high expectations for a Steelers team that enters the season with more questions than answers.
For years, head coach Mike Tomlin found ways to win games he should’ve lost and keep this team hovering around a .500 record, sometimes against all odds.
Now, with Tomlin no longer in the picture, the defense getting older and more brittle, and Rodgers no longer at the peak of his powers, Mike McCarthy will be in for a major challenge in his first year with the organization.
The Steelers have been long overdue for a rebuild, but they have refused to bottom out to get back to contention.
They made a couple of moves in the offseason, but nothing that moves the needle, and with Rodgers setting a high bar for this team with this slightly improved personnel, there won’t be any room for excuses if they fail to get the job done in 2026.