Aaron Rodgers is returning for another NFL season.
The 41-year-old quarterback informed the Steelers on Thursday that he will fly to Pittsburgh on Friday and sign in time for next week’s minicamp, starting his 21st NFL season.
The news was first reported by NFL Network.
The decision comes after two disastrous seasons with the New York Jets, one of which lasted just four plays before Rodgers tore his Achilles. The Jets went 5–12 with Rodgers in 2024, leading ownership to clean house.
The Jets have $49 million in dead money for Rodgers on their cap sheet. Rodgers had said all offseason he’d play for $20 million, a relative pittance compared to what he made with Green Bay and New York.
The Steelers-Rodgers union has appeared inevitable for months, with the team keeping its powder dry despite QBs like Kirk Cousins being available and Shedeur Sanders not being picked until the fifth round. Steelers legend and Fox analyst Terry Bradshaw previously called the organization’s drawn-out pursuit of Rodgers “a joke.” They did select Will Howard in the sixth round of the draft, but Howard is unlikely to threaten Rodgers’s hold on the starting job.
Rodgers joins a Steelers team that went 10–7 and lost to the Ravens in the wild-card round last season. They traded for DK Metcalf this offseason and let Russell Wilson walk to the Giants in free agency.