Steelers Now
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said in the offseason that 2025 will likely be his swan song, but the Steelers are hoping to run it back with the four-time NFL MVP next season, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.
“The Steelers will scour the draft market for the QB of the future, for sure,” Fowler wrote. “They are already doing so. But if you ask people with the team whether they’d entertain the notion of Rodgers in the black-and-gold in 2026, the answer would be a resounding yes. He has maintained his elite ability to throw the football.”
Rodgers has 14 touchdown passes through six games. He’s on pace to break the Steelers’ single-season record for touchdown passes.
Ben Roethlisberger set the Steelers’ franchise record with 34 touchdown passes in 2018. Through six games, Rodgers has completed 118 of 172 pass attempts (68.6%) for 1,270 yards with 14 touchdowns, five interceptions, and a passer rating of 105.0.
The Steelers have received inconsistent quarterback play since Roethlisberger retired following the 2021 season. They had high hopes for Kenny Pickett, but that experiment ended up being a disaster. Russell Wilson and Justin Fields did not work out in 2024, either. But nothing was worse than the Pickett years.
In 2023, Pickett finished with 13 touchdown passes in 12 games. In 2022, Pickett tossed 12 touchdowns in 13 games (12 starts). Rodgers has already surpassed those TD figures in six games.
Rodgers nearly pulled off an heroic Hail Marry pass in last Thursday night’s loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. To say the least, Rodgers displayed that he still has a cannon of an arm.
The Hail Mary pass attempt that resulted in an incompletion traveled 69.8 yards in the air, the longest recorded pass attempt since at least 2017, according to Next Gen Stats.
Rodgers also threw an absolute dime to Pat Freiermuth for a 68-yard touchdown last Thursday night.
Aaron Rodgers still has it pic.twitter.com/WDWPwsEkQs
— Jake Schyvinck (Skatte-BOO SZN 👻🎃) (@JakeNFLDraft) October 21, 2025
Rodgers revealed on The Pat McAfee Show in June that this year will likely be his last season in the NFL. He also disclosed that he doesn’t want to live a life in the public eye. He said once he’s done playing football, “you won’t see me.”
Rodgers turns 42 in December. The future Hall of Fame also got married this past offseason.
“I didn’t need this. I didn’t need it all,” Rodgers said. “I don’t feel the need to prove anything to anybody (and) don’t have any chip on my shoulder that I need to hold on to. I don’t want the attention. I know that’s a narrative out there. When this is all done … you won’t see me. I won’t be in the public.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Report: Steelers Want to Run It Back with Aaron Rodgers in 2026
