Aaron Rodgers likely done with Steelers after Mike Tomlin’s exit

On Tuesday, longtime head coach for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike Tomlin, announced that he would be leaving the team. Tomlin spent 19 seasons as the head coach and never coached a losing record, winning the Super Bowl in 2009 against the Arizona Cardinals.

2025 was a crazy season for Tomlin and the Steelers. The team brought in Aaron Rodgers to be the quarterback in his age 42 season. Rodgers signed a one-year contract worth approximately $13 million. Now that he is a free agent, it seems unlikely that he will return to the Steelers with Tomlin gone.

“Aaron came here to play for Mike. So it would most likely affect his decision,” Steelers Owner Art Rooney said via Ian Rapoport.

Will Aaron Rodgers play for another team in 2026, or will he hang up the cleats? Only time will tell with the longtime quarterback. This is a decision that likely won’t be made until near the start of next season, similar to this past season when he signed with the Steelers right before training camp.

If you look around the league, there are not many teams that could benefit from having the 42-year old future Hall of Fame QB. Even if Tomlin stayed with the Steelers another year, Rodgers’ return wasn’t 100%. There is no chance Rodgers heads back to New York to play with the Jets. As of now, there are really only two teams that Rodgers could play for in 2026, and that is the Cardinals and the Kansas City Chiefs. The Cardinals could be interested in Rodgers if they move on from Kyler Murray; however, this is a team that should draft a QB in April.

The Chiefs, you say? Yes. With Patrick Mahomes out, maybe for the entire 2026 season, Rodgers could be an interesting gamble for the Chiefs. If KC believes they can compete without Mahomes for one season, then why not try to get to the playoffs with Rodgers? They don’t have anything to lose outside of a better draft pick. With Any Reid still head coach, they will likely win at least six games again, regardless.

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