Aaron Rodgers isn’t talking like someone who’s on the verge of retirement.
Maybe because there’s a chance he’s not.
The Pittsburgh Steelers’ quarterback, who recently turned 42, didn’t shut the door completely on returning in 2026 when asked about it on Wednesday.
The four-time MVP, who stressed he didn’t “really want to get too deep in” what lies beyond Sunday night’s showdown with the Baltimore Ravens for the AFC North title, believes there will be opportunities available if he opts to give a 22nd season a shot.
“Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent,” said Rodgers, who signed a one-year deal with Pittsburgh in June. “So that’ll give me a lot of options if I still want to play. [Maybe] not quite a lot of choices, however there’ll be choices, I’d suppose. Perhaps one or two.”
Rodgers’ message heading into Week 18 is a notable shift from his stance within the early summer season, when he stated on “The Pat McAfee Present” that he was “fairly certain [2025] is it.”
It nonetheless may be, however Rodgers additionally appeared inspired by his personal play at occasions this season. Rodgers has thrown for 3,028 yards with 23 touchdowns and 7 interceptions heading into an elimination sport towards the Ravens. He is additionally stayed largely wholesome, save for fracturing the wrist on his left (non-throwing) hand, which compelled him to sit down out a loss to the Chicago Bears in late November.
Rodgers joked final week that, in some methods, he feels just like the fictional character Benjamin Button, who ages in reverse.
Requested if he thinks he is proven sufficient over the previous 4 months that any choice he makes about 2026 will rely solely on his want to play and never his means to play, he nodded.
“I imply, I hope so, yeah,” Rodgers stated. “I imply, I hope I can get by means of this stretch and really feel good bodily in order that’s not within the dialog.”
Rodgers declined to tug the curtain again too far on what is going to go into the decision-making course of, saying solely that he’ll discuss along with his spouse and are available to some type of decision “down the road.”
The Steelers have lengthy pointed towards the 2026 NFL Draft — which might be held in Pittsburgh — as a possibility to land the younger franchise quarterback they have been trying to find since Ben Roethlisberger retired on the finish of the 2021 season.
But an incoming quarterback class that appeared stacked in August would not look so stacked heading into January. Whereas Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza figures to listen to his identify fairly early within the first spherical by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell, a number of the different prospects considered obtainable — similar to Texas’ Arch Manning and South Carolina’s LaNorris Sellers — have chosen to remain at school as a substitute.
Whereas Rodgers made it some extent to say that all the pieces about his expertise in Pittsburgh has been nice, he additionally famous that there are at all times challenges to being in a brand new system. It is a transition he endured with the Inexperienced Bay Packers in 2019 when Matt LaFleur changed Mike McCarthy as head coach.
Although Rodgers’ numbers throughout his first yr with LaFleur had been fantastic, it took an offseason of changes for him to really really feel snug. Rodgers responded by main the league in passer ranking in 2020 and 2021 whereas successful back-to-back MVPs.
“I used to tease LaFleur about this on a regular basis,” Rodgers stated. “I used to be a sport supervisor in 2019 and a sport impactor in 2020 and 2021. I feel quite a lot of it’s simply familiarity with the offense and with the fellows.”
One thing that may be the case if Rodgers returned to Pittsburgh once more subsequent season, supplied there are not any important changes to the teaching workers.
“We’ve executed one of the best we might with our conversations and our assembly time outdoors the ability and our assembly within the facility,” Rodgers stated. “However clearly, the extra years you get within the system with the identical guys, the extra continuity you might have, the higher you’re feeling like you may play.”
Vast receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling, who spent 4 years taking part in alongside Rodgers in Inexperienced Bay from 2018-21 earlier than reuniting with the quarterback this season in Pittsburgh, has little question his good pal can play so long as he needs.
“He can play soccer till he’s 50. He’s virtually there,” Valdes-Scantling stated with a smile. “However he can for certain play till he’s 50 years previous. Throwing the soccer? He’ll be capable of try this.”
Rodgers has leaned into his time with the Steelers, notably on an offense teeming with gamers who weren’t even in elementary college when Rodgers was chosen by Inexperienced Bay within the first spherical of the 2005 draft. He referred to as the quarterback room he shares with veteran backup Mason Rudolph, rookie Will Howard, and third-year professional Skylar Thompson “among the best I’ve ever been round.”
It is a room that can have no less than one open seat subsequent yr, and possibly a man in his early 40s searching for work. Both manner, the person who got here to Pittsburgh as a result of he felt it was “good for my soul” seems to be on much better phrases with the sport and his place in it than he was following two drama-filled and injury-filled seasons with the New York Jets.
“If I hadn’t taken this path, I by no means would have met so many guys within the locker room who I now name shut associates and wouldn’t have the experiences and the recollections on the sphere,” he stated. “I really feel like there can be somewhat gap in my life, you realize, lacking with out having this chapter. So I’m grateful for this time.”
Reporting by The Related Press.
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