2026 Season Is His Last, Aaron Rodgers Says

Aaron Rodgers took his time before deciding he wanted to play a 22nd season. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback already has made up his mind about a 23rd: There won't be one. "This is it," Rodgers said Wednesday when the four-time NFL MVP was asked if this would be his final year. The 42-year-old did not expand on why he came to that conclusion when making his first public comments since signing a one-year deal to return to the Steelers on Monday. Rodgers instead is leaning into the present, including his reunion with new Steelers coach Mike McCarthy, the AP reports. The two spent 13 seasons together in Green Bay, and Rodgers pointed to McCarthy's hiring as Mike Tomlin's replacement as a major factor in his decision to run it back one last time.

"It is like a (bunch of) 'pinch me' moments that have happened in the last few days," Rodgers said after the second day of Pittsburgh's voluntary organized team activities. McCarthy and Rodgers won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay after the 2010 season, and they remained in frequent contact as Rodgers weighed whether he wanted to put his body through the rigors of a 17-game season. Writing for NBC Sports, Mike Florio raises the possibility that Rodgers was waiting for the season's schedule to be released to announce his return. That story can be found here.