Aaron Rodgers didn’t leave anything up for interpretation.
The 2026 season will be his last.
“This is it,” Rodgers said during a news conference May 20 on the second day of organized team activities following his return to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a second year.
Rodgers, 42, signed a one-year contract with the Steelers earlier this week after months of speculation on whether he would play again for his 22nd season.
The four-time NFL MVP, who spent the first 18 years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, is reuniting with former Packers head coach Mike McCarthy for his final season in Pittsburgh. McCarthy was hired by the Steelers earlier this offseason.
McCarthy coached Rodgers for 13 years and the two teamed to win a Super Bowl during the 2010 season. Rodgers won his first two MVPs under McCarthy and they went to the playoffs for a franchise-best eight straight seasons from 2009-16.
Rodgers has implied retirement in the past.
He said last year after also signing a one-year contract with the Steelers that he was “pretty sure this is it.”
“That’s why we just did a one-year deal,” Rodgers said on “The Pat McAfee Show.” “Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on it.”
Now, a year later, Rodgers is back with the Steelers, the team he helped lead to a division title in 2025.
Aaron Rodgers on retirement
Here’s how Rodgers answered the question about retirement on May 20.
Asked by a reporter if the 2026 season could be his last year, Rodgers replied emphatically “yes” before confirming that he plans to call it quits after the year.
Rodgers will get a chance for a bit of redemption after last season’s dismal 30-6 loss in the wild card round in which his final pass was an interception.
Rodgers turns 43 in December.
It will also give him a chance to move up another list. He enters the 2026 season fourth all-time in touchdown passes with 527 but with 13 more the future first-ballot Hall of Famer will pass Peyton Manning for third.
Last season, in 16 games with the Steelers, Rodgers completed 65.7% of his passes, threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
Aaron Rodgers on the Steelers in 2026
What does Rodgers think of the Steelers’ chances this season?
“I think you have to temper expectations this time a year,” Rodgers said, “because all the years I played sometimes you get excited about guys how they look in shorts and a helmet and then when the pads go on it just changes everything. It changes the offensive line first and foremost, but it changes how guys play.
“Some guys slow down, some guys speed up, some guys have extra confidence with pads on, some guys have some trepidation with the pads on.
“You just got to temper your expectations, not make any snap judgments and wait to camp to see how things come together. But I am excited about these guys. I am excited about the team and it’s fun to be back in the locker room with those guys.”
A year after the Packers played Rodgers in a regular season game in Pittsburgh – a 33-25 win for Green Bay – they’ll see him again in 2026, though this time just in the preseason.
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Aaron Rodgers provides major update on his NFL future
Reporting by Christopher Kuhagen, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
