The Pittsburgh Steelers are about to get their answer on whether Aaron Rodgers will play in 2026.
According to Sports Boom, Rodgers’ announcement is “imminent,” and the Steelers expect the 42-year-old to return for his 22nd NFL season.
Rodgers played 2025 with the Steelers and helped them win the AFC North. But he has been incognito since Pittsburgh’s season ended with a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card round.
Rodgers completed 65.7% of his passes in 2025 for 3,322 yards and a 24-7 touchdown-to-interception rate.
The Steelers Believe Aaron Rodgers ‘Will Play Next Season’
Pittsburgh hired Rodgers’ former coach, Mike McCarthy, as its head coach to replace Mike Tomlin. It eschewed picking a quarterback in the draft’s first two rounds for the second year in a row.
According to members of the Steelers’ front office, these are signs they are expecting Rodgers to return.
“The Steelers still have no formal word from aging quarterback Aaron Rodgers about his plans for 2026,” NFL insider Jason La Canfora reported for Sports Boom. “But there remains a sense within the organization that he will play next season, with formal word anticipated in the coming weeks.”
Though the relationship between Rodgers and McCarthy is seen as a step toward the QB’s return — they did, after all reach the playoffs eight straight seasons with the Green Bay Packers. La Canfora reported friction between them, but Rodgers and McCarthy have also shored up that relationship.
“While Rodgers and McCarthy didnât leave on the best of terms, theyâve also mended fences, according to sources,” La Canfora reported. “If Rodgers truly intended to retire itâs unlikely he would string out McCarthy having just taken over a new franchise after a brief stint in Dallas.”
The Steelers are leery about ruffling Rodgers’ feathers, since he can be prone to sudden changes of heart. But Pittsburgh is expecting the Rodgers situation to get settled in the next few weeks.
“Given how mercurial Rodgers can be, the Steelers continue to tread lightly about the topic, and they donât want to be seen as speaking for him in any way,” La Canfora reported. “But itâs clear to Rodgersâs representatives that this situation cannot drag all the way to mini camp like it did a year ago before he formally signed with them.”
The Steelers Have Their Rodgers Replacement in Place if he Backs Out
The Steelers may not have spent premium draft capital on a quarterback, but they do have options in place if Rodgers gets cold feet about playing for McCarthy.
Will Howard, a 2025 sixth-round selection, stands to start Day 1 if Rodgers is not on the roster. But Pittsburgh’s 2026 pick of Drew Allar in the third round could end up being the post-Rodgers solution.
Allar was mocked as a top-10 prospect early in the 2026 season before a broken ankle ended his senior season. But the Steelers love the former Penn State QB’s size and raw skills.
“Allar had a spotty college career, with high highs and low lows,” La Canfora reported. “But the Steelers were drawn to him for his strapping size and ability to make big-time throws that not every prospect in this draft could make.
“Allar requires development and reps to be ready, something far more for 2027 than 2026. But the Steelers are convinced he has starting NFL upside if they can fully tap into it.”
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