Aaron Rodgers returning to the Steelers for the 2026 season continues to seem more and more likely each day. The 42-year-old quarterback hasn’t publicly made a decision about what he wants to do next season, whether that’s retire, return to the Steelers or join a whole new team. However, it sounds like he has the support of the Steelers if he chooses to come back for another year.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared on Monday that the majority of Steelers players resounded in wanting Rodgers back next season when speaking in their exit meetings.
“When they had the exit meetings with the Pittsburgh Steelers players ... they all wanted Aaron Rodgers back,” Schefter said on the Pat McAfee Show. “The one thing that was conveyed to me was how much respect and love there was from other teammates about Aaron Rodgers and how much they wanted him back.”
"The Pittsburgh Steelers would absolutely love to have Aaron Rodgers back..
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) February 9, 2026
Obviously Aaron Rodgers has to decide what he wants to do" ~ @AdamSchefter #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/Fouj1wQ4Lw
We all know the Steelers were more than willing to wait on Rodgers to make a decision last offseason as he didn’t sign with the team until June, but this offseason, the team has given him a stricter timeline. According to Schefter, Pittsburgh has planned to give Rodgers a month to decide about his future with the team, meaning likely before the start of the league year and free agency on March 11.
“The idea of that point of time was to give him about a month,” Schefter continued. “Give him some time to think about things, process things, and in that time, they go and hire Mike McCarthy. They didn’t hire Mike McCarthy to bring back Aaron Rodgers, but I don’t think that hurts the situation at all, if anything it helps it.”
As Schefter mentions, the Steelers hired Rodgers’s former Packers coach McCarthy, which has been explained as not a move to retain Rodgers. But, the coach and quarterback have been talking and it wouldn’t be a surprise if McCarthy is able to convince Rodgers to play another season in Pittsburgh for the two of them to work together again.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Steelers Players Are Almost All United in Opinion on Potential Aaron Rodgers Return.
