After weeks of waiting and mulling his different options, Aaron Rodgers has chosen his new NFL team. The four-time NFL MVP agreed to terms with the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team announced Thursday night. Rodgers will attend Pittsburgh's mandatory minicamp next week.
The Steelers were one of three teams viewed as being in the running for Rodgers. The New York Giants were another, but instead opted to sign Jameis Winston and Russell Wilson. The Minnesota Vikings were also a team to watch; the sides had had conversations before the Vikings ultimately decided to go ahead with J.J. McCarthy, a 2024 first-round pick who was injured his entire rookie season.
The Steelers made it clear at the NFL Scouting Combine that they wanted to re-sign either Wilson or Justin Fields at quarterback before the start of free agency, but failed on both counts. Now, Pittsburgh has committed to going the veteran quarterback route for another year while bringing back Mason Rudolph and drafting Ohio State QB Will Howard in the seventh round.
Rodgers, who spent the past two years with the New York Jets, is coming off the worst season of his Hall-of-Fame career. He registered career-worsts in games lost (12), yards per attempt (6.7) and passer rating (90.5). In 2024, Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, and became the fifth quarterback in NFL history to reach 500 career touchdown passes.
While the Steelers can now feel more comfortable having grabbed a seat in this stressful game of quarterback musical chairs, the decision to sign Rodgers will be a polarizing one in Pittsburgh. After all, Rodgers has more losing seasons (three) than playoff wins (two) since 2017. In fact, earlier this offseason Steelers safety DeShon Elliott even commented on a social media post pointing to the fact that the Steelers became the betting favorites to land Rodgers, saying, "Leave his ass at the retirement home."
Steelers signing Aaron Rodgers: Why Pittsburgh is now in position to make first deep playoff run since 2016
Bryan DeArdo
The Steelers are attempting to revamp an offense that was much too inconsistent in 2024. Pittsburgh swung a trade for former Seattle Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf and gave him a five-year, $150 million contract last month, and now, has found its new quarterback.
Everything to know about Aaron Rodgers signing with the Pittsburgh Steelers
How it could affect Rodgers' NFL legacy
If Rodgers could win one more Super Bowl, he would join Manning and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks ever to win at least three league MVPs and two Super Bowls. That would certainly cement his place as a top-five quarterback in NFL history.
That's the reward aspect of Rodgers giving it one more go with the Steelers in 2025 along with how celebrated he would be for lifting one of the league's most historic franchises back to the mountain top for Pittsburgh's first championship since the 2008 season. Doing so would also allow Rodgers to ride off into the sunset with many people forgetting some of his behavior regarding his public health stances and the worst season of his career helping lead to the firings of New York Jets head coach Robert Saleh and general manager Joe Douglas in 2024.
However, giving it another go in 2025 as he turns 42 is also a big risk. Rodgers will be two years removed from tearing his Achilles, and last season he looked incredibly stiff moving around the pocket following an injury that has drained much of the mobility that allowed him to dance around in the pocket before making jaw-dropping throw after jaw-dropping throw throughout his career. Another serious injury, missing the postseason, plenty of pain and even a potential, permanent limp could be the end result of another year of NFL football for Rodgers at his age. -- Garrett Podell
Steelers loaded for bear, hunting for first division title since 2020
While talent was clearly a reason why the Steelers fell apart late last season, you could argue that a lack of offensive leadership also contributed to the collapse. While Rodgers' public persona is a complicated, he has largely been regarded in the past as a great teammate and a leader who isn't afraid to challenge anyone. The Steelers haven't had an offensive leader like that since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season. What Rodgers should bring to Pittsburgh from a leadership standpoint shouldn't be overlooked.
While they don't have a ton of depth behind them, the Steelers' offensive line has the potential to be the franchise's best since 2020. The starting-five projects to include two former first-round picks in tackles Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu, a returning Pro Bowler in veteran guard Isaac Seumalo, and two second-years players in center Zach Frazier and Mason McCormick who were immediate starters in 2024.
Rodgers has weapons at his disposal in DK Metcalf, fellow wideout Calvin Austin III and tight end Pat Freiermuth. He's already started working with Metcalf, and he should quickly gel with Austin, whose work ethic is among the best on the team. The Steelers are also reportedly trying to acquire another proven wideout after trading George Pickens to the Cowboys last month. There have been rumblings that Roman Wilson -- who missed his entire rookie season with an injury -- has impressed during OTAs.
Pittsburgh still has Jaylen Warren, but it lost a big part of its offense when it let fellow running back Najee Harris test free agency (he ultimately signed with the Chargers). With Harris gone, the Steelers spent a third round pick on his replacement, former Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson. The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Johnson has already been compared to both Harris and Le'Veon Bell. Along with possessing Harris-like physicality, Johnson's patience and big-play ability are similar to Bell, who set several franchise records during his five-year run in Pittsburgh.
Defensively, Rodgers will be complemented by a unit that is capable of winning some games on its own, especially after adding some necessary pieces via free agency and during the draft. The Steelers' defensive additions this offseason includes six-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay and first-round pick Derrick Harmon, one of the top-ranked defensive tackle prospects in this year's draft. -- Bryan DeArdo
Rodgers' revenge tour will include the Packers and the Jets
The fun gets started in Week 1 at New York in a game CBS will broadcast. The Jets had a chance to bring Rodgers back for a third season in New York, but they decided to move on. During an interview with Pat McAfee in April, Rodgers definitely sounded bitter about the way things ended. The 41-year-old said he flew across the country on his own dime only to sit down for a meeting where he was told in the first 20 seconds that the Jets didn't want him.
The game between the Steelers and Jets is scheduled to kick off at 1 p.m. ET in Week 1, which is something that definitely would NOT have happened if the NFL had known for sure that Rodgers was going to sign. In a recent interview with CBS Sports, Mike North, the NFL's vice president of broadcast planning and scheduling, admitted that the game likely would have been given a prime-time slot if the league had been 100% certain that Rodgers was going to play.
"I think if the league knew, we probably would've scheduled that game for a national television window," North said. "Look at what we did with Aaron Rogers' first game the last two years (both Monday night games). If we knew something, I think you would've seen it reflected in the schedule. That being said, still a good game."
The Week 8 Sunday night game that will see Pittsburgh host Green Bay is likely to be bittersweet for Rordgers, who of course started his career in Green Bay after the Packers selected him in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. By 2008, he was the full-time starter and during his 15 years under center, he led the Packers to five NFC title games and one Super Bowl win while also winning four MVP awards. Rodgers had a Hall of Fame career in Green Bay, but it came to a somewhat bitter end in April 2023 when the Packers traded him to New York.
The Packers made it pretty clear that they were getting ready to move on from Rodgers when they used a first-round pick in 2020 to select Jordan Love. Rodgers wasn't happy about the pick and things became awkward between him and the front office after that. Rodgers will now get to face Love for the first time. -- John Breech
And if Rodgers beats Green Bay, guess what ...
If Rodgers can beat Green Bay, he'd be just the fifth quarterback to beat all 32 teams as a starter, joining Tom Brady, Drew Brees Peyton Manning, Brett Favre. Only two other active quarterbacks -- Russell Wilson and Patrick Mahomes -- have beaten 31 teams. Neither is set to reach 32 this season, as Wilson's Giants do not play the Seahawks, and Mahomes remains on the Chiefs. Two quarterbacks -- Joe Montana and Fran Tarkenton -- beat all 28 teams when the NFL had only 28 teams. -- Zachary Pereles
DK Metcalf is a big winner here
Metcalf, who was traded from the Seahawks and promptly signed a five-year, $150 million extension, projects as the type of No. 1 receiver Rodgers has thrived with. A supercharged athlete with speed to burn, Metcalf should feature heavily in this offense on in-breaking routes, too.
Moreover, the Steelers showed a willingness to match Metcalf, 27, with a quarterback who has worked with big-bodied, physically gifted perimeter receivers his entire career. Metcalf has little competition for targets in a relatively scarce wide receiver room, and he should put up a monster season. Even amid a rough 2024 for the Jets, Garrett Wilson had over 100 catches, and Davante Adams averaged over six catches for over 77 yards per game in New York. -- Zachary Pereles
While Kirk Cousins is the big loser from the Rodgers-Pittsburgh signing
The Steelers were reportedly monitoring the Kirk Cousins situation in Atlanta as recently as late May. Cousins has not been at OTAs and has asked for a trade, though a deal was always going to have to wait until post-June 1 money savings kicked in.
Now, there's no clear spot for Cousins to land as a starter. The Browns have four quarterbacks. The Giants brought in two free agents and drafted Jaxson Dart in the first round. The Steelers have found their answer. Cousins has wanted out for months, but it will be hard for him to find a good landing spot and perhaps even harder for the Falcons to find a willing trade partner. -- Zachary Pereles
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