{"id":958072,"date":"2026-07-28T21:36:16","date_gmt":"2026-07-28T21:36:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/958072\/"},"modified":"2026-07-28T21:36:16","modified_gmt":"2026-07-28T21:36:16","slug":"aaron-rodgers-zero-debate-this-is-his-final-nfl-season","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/958072\/","title":{"rendered":"Aaron Rodgers: ‘Zero debate’ this is his final NFL season"},"content":{"rendered":"

This is it for Aaron Rodgers<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 42-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said there is \u201czero debate\u201d that he will retire after this season, his 22nd in the NFL.<\/p>\n

\u201cI thought last year might be it,\u201d Rodgers said Tuesday after reporting to training camp. \u201cAnd then Mike [McCarthy] got hired, and I talked to the wife and she said, \u2018You can do one more year.\u2019 I said, \u2018Well, we\u2019ll see if it works out.\u2019 And it kind of all came together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodgers is entering his second season with the Steelers after signing a one-year contract worth up to $25 million in May.<\/p>\n

Last year, Rodgers completed 65.7% of his passes for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns with seven interceptions and led Pittsburgh to an AFC North division title.<\/p>\n

The successful season seemed to revitalize Rodgers after a disappointing two-year tenure with the Jets<\/a> \u2014 during which he missed all but four snaps in 2023 due to a Week 1 Achilles tear, then went just 5-12 upon returning in 2024.<\/p>\n

\u201cI mean, people just say things at the beginning of the year, not knowing how a year could go,\u201d Steelers wide receiver D.K. Metcalf said Tuesday of Rodgers\u2019 impending retirement, speaking to reporters before the quarterback did.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe may not even get hit or touched this year and may say, \u2018Hey, let\u2019s go out there and do another one.\u2019 I mean, it just puts a weight off his back. He\u2019s just out there playing free.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rodgers spent his first 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, with whom he won four NFL MVP awards and his lone Super Bowl title after the 2010 season.<\/p>\n

Returning to the Steelers this year reunites Rodgers with McCarthy, who was his Packers head coach from 2006-18.<\/p>\n

The Steelers hired McCarthy as head coach this offseason, replacing Mike Tomlin, who stepped down in January after 19 years in the role.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s special,\u201d McCarthy said Tuesday of getting to work with Rodgers again. \u201cThere\u2019s no doubt about it. Trust me, that\u2019s not lost on me, every day. I think it\u2019s super cool that I get to line up with him one more time.\u201d<\/p>\n

CARTER\u2019S CONTRACT<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a very big contract for a very big man.<\/p>\n

Star defensive tackle Jalen Carter reached a four-year, $152 million contract extension with Philadelphia Eagles, his agents told ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The contract \u2014 the biggest ever for a defensive tackle \u2014 includes $106 million in guarantees and can be worth up to $160 million.<\/p>\n

Carter, 25, is a two-time Pro Bowler through three NFL seasons. The 6-3, 314-pound game-wrecker recorded 3.0 sacks and 12 quarterback hits in 11 games last season.<\/p>\n

NO MORE FOR MAYFIELD<\/p>\n

Baker Mayfield\u2019s self-imposed deadline to negotiate a new contract came and went, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback arrived at training camp Tuesday without an extension.<\/p>\n

Mayfield, 31, had designated the start of camp as the cut-off to reach a long-term deal.<\/p>\n

He is now expected to play out the final year of his contract before pursuing free agency next offseason, according to multiple reports<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Despite a series of injuries, Mayfield played in all 17 games last season, passing for 3,693 yards with 26 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.<\/p>\n

Mayfield carries a cap hit of nearly $40 million in 2026, the final season of a three-year, $100 million contract.<\/p>\n

And that isn\u2019t the only drama at Bucs camp. Two-time Pro Bowl defensive tackle Vita Vea reportedly requested a trade this week after extension negotiations stagnated.<\/p>\n

Vea, 31, is due $18 million this season in the final year of his contract.<\/p>\n

SHANAHAN SPEAKS OUT<\/p>\n

San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan took accountability for the car accident that reportedly left him with a concussion and numerous broken bones, saying the two-car crash was his fault.<\/p>\n

Shanahan told local reporters Tuesday that he briefly looked away while searching for his phone when it fell between seats, according to ESPN<\/a>.<\/p>\n

California Highway Patrol records had attributed the July 14 collision in Palo Alto to a 21-year-old woman driving the other car, but Shahanan reportedly said Tuesday that was inaccurate.<\/p>\n

Shanahan will be limited at training camp as he recovers, the Niners said over the weekend.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"This is it for Aaron Rodgers. The 42-year-old Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback said there is \u201czero debate\u201d that he…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":958073,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2055],"tags":[220,1586,1842,211,25,7,476,2812,6,520,57,2360,426,8896,9752],"class_list":["post-958072","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-49ers","tag-aaron-rodgers","tag-baker-mayfield","tag-buccaneers","tag-eagles","tag-football","tag-jalen-carter","tag-kyle-shanahan","tag-nfl","tag-pittsburgh","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-pittsburghsteelers","tag-steelers","tag-training-camp","tag-vita-vea"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116999761634153914","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958072","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=958072"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/958072\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/958073"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=958072"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=958072"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=958072"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}