Future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers has had a chokehold on the NFL offseason since 2023. This year figures to be the same, as Rodgers signed only a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers last June.
NBC Sports’ Matthew Berry reported the 35 most interesting things he heard while at the 2026 NFL Combine in Indianapolis last week. Surprise, surprise: Whether Rodgers will return for his 22nd season or retire is on the list.
“I was told he is leaning towards coming back, but that while you never know with Rodgers, the current expectation is that if he comes back, it would be to return to Pittsburgh,” Berry wrote.
Berry added, “I heard that last year, coach Kevin O’Connell wanted Aaron Rodgers (and Rodgers was interested in Minnesota), but that the overall Vikings organization was not on board, so obviously, Rodgers went to Pittsburgh, and the Vikings went with [J.J.] McCarthy. With organizational changes to the Vikings front office, Rodgers is once again on the Vikings’ radar, but again, this will be a full team decision if they decide to pursue him.”
Rodgers made it known that now-former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was a major factor in signing with the Steelers last year. While Tomlin decided to step away from coaching after the Steelers’ blowout loss to Houston in the AFC Wild Card round, Rodgers has a history with Tomlin’s replacement. Mike McCarthy coached Rodgers for 13 years in Green Bay, where they won a Super Bowl together to cap the 2010 season.
Rodgers took a long and winding road to Pittsburgh.
In February 2023, Rodgers went into a “darkness retreat” and later admitted to Pat McAfee that his mind had been set on “90% retiring.” Then, he changed his mind when he heard the Packers were willing to move him, and the Green Bay traded the four-time MVP to the New York Jets that April. Expectations could not have been higher for Rodgers to lead the Jets to the playoffs for the first time since 2010. Instead, Rodgers tore his Achilles on the Jets’ fourth snap of the 2023 season.
It only got weirder from there. Rodgers made headlines in July 2024 for skipping the Jets’ mandatory minicamp in favor of a trip to Egypt. That was after it was briefly floated that he might bail on the NFL to become the then-presidential candidate Robert Kennedy Jr.’s running mate. Ultimately, he played all 17 games for the 5-12 Jets in 2024, but head coach Robert Saleh was fired, and New York unceremoniously released Rodgers in January 2025.
For the 10-7 Steelers last season, Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions on 65.7% completion across 16 games. His efficiency and counting stats were solid, but Rodgers’ reluctance to stand in the pocket and take hits, and subsequent extremely low average time to throw, hindered Pittsburgh’s vertical passing game at times.
“I’ve been in communication with Aaron,” Steelers general manager Omah Khan told reporters at the Combine. “I know Mike has also. We’ve got good communication, honest communication, but nothing new to report there.” Khan added he has “no deadline” for Rodgers to make his decision, but “I don’t foresee this going like it did last year” into June.
Rodgers has nothing left to play for, other than a love of football and perhaps a desire to win a second Super Bowl.
But if the most enigmatic quarterback of our time does decide to play again next season, we will be entertained.