Just like last offseason, all eyes are on quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
That’s because the world is waiting to see if Rodgers plans on playing in 2026. And, if he does return, will he play for the Pittsburgh Steelers or another team, like the Minnesota Vikings, for example?
On Wednesday, CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala reported she is hearing Rodgers has a “miniscule” chance to return to the NFL in 2026 and is likely to retire.
“Having spoken to people who were around him, who have been around him, most everyone that I’ve spoken to who has been around him feels that the chance that he comes back to play is minuscule,” Kinkhabwala said on 93.7 The Fan.
“In conversations with people who were around him all year who were with him when he was leaving the Steelers when the season was over, all of those people that I spoke to said that it seems far more likely that he is done than that he is going to return,” she added.
An important disclaimers here is that Rodgers keeps a very tight circle, so it’s tough to know just how accurate this is. But, if we take Kinkhabwala’s report at face value, this is bad news for the Steelers and Vikings.
If Rodgers retires or leaves for another team, the Steelers won’t have a set starter at quarterback.
The team might be high on Will Howard, but the jury is still out on him after he didn’t play a single snap (preseason or regular season) in 2025. Mason Rudolph is also under contract, but he is not a starting-caliber signal-caller.
The Vikings are widely reported to be in search of a veteran this offseason and one would assume Rodgers would at least be under consideration in Minnesota if the Vikings are looking to replace J.J. McCarthy.
When it comes to a timeline for Rodgers’ decision, we would expect it to come down before the start of free agency in March.
Granted, Rodgers usually operates on his own timeline, but he owes it to the Steelers to make a timely decision so as not to leave Pittsburgh in a tough spot.
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