Once again, Aaron Rodgers is the burning offseason question when it comes to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unfortunately, it feels likely the Steelers will head into the new league year, and the start of free agency, without an answer from Rodgers.
We know it can take Rodgers some time for make these decisions. It took all the way until just before the start of mandatory minicamp last offseason. Deciding between retiring and playing again is, of course, a tough decision for anybody. But to NFL insider James Palmer, deciding which team Rodgers might play for if he does decide to come back is not.
“I don’t think Aaron’s playing anywhere other than Pittsburgh. If he plays. The dialogue has been too intense between [him] and Mike McCarthy,” Palmer said Monday on the Heed The Call podcast.
Rodgers and McCarthy have been in touch since the Steelers hired the latter as their new head coach. There were some storylines around the way the two broke up in Green Bay. But they each clearly have a lot of respect for each other. McCarthy started his first press conference in Pittsburgh mentioning how nice it would be to have Rodgers back, and Rodgers confirmed on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday that the two remain in contact.
Whether that’s through the lens of him actually playing in 2026, we’ll have to see. Aaron Rodgers didn’t sound committal to McAfee. And he spoke about plenty of aspects of his Steelers tenure in the past tense. He also mentioned that he and McCarthy remain good friends and stressed that talks about the 2026 season have not progressed a ton.
However, it does sound like he’ll be returning to the Steelers if he doesn’t retire. Minnesota is a destination many point to, but the Vikings haven’t shown a clear interest in Rodgers. Kyler Murray seems like a candidate there. And there are a few other quarterbacks on the market the Vikings could consider.
It’s rare to see high demand for a 42-year old quarterback, so this does make some sense. But Rodgers got the job done, for the most part, in 2025. The Steelers aren’t wrong to want him back considering how risky the other options are, both inside and outside of the building. Whether waiting on Rodgers for months again is a good idea is much more questionable.
That said, one hurdle does seem to be out of the way. If Aaron Rodgers does lace up the cleats for another year, Palmer doesn’t expect it to be anywhere other than in Pittsburgh.