After a long public flirtation, the four-time MVP quarterback plans to sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, league sources told The Athletic on Thursday, joining his third NFL team.
Rodgers visited the Steelers’ facility on March 21, leaving without a deal.
He also drew interest from the New York Giants, who ultimately signed Russell Wilson, the Steelers’ primary starter in 2024.
Cap update The Steelers entered free agency with an estimated $60.1 million in cap space, according to Over the Cap.
They were down to about $34 million before a Rodgers deal.
Aaron Rodgers has at last chosen a new residence. The four-time MVP quarterback intends to sign a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, his third NFL team, league sources told The Athletic on Thursday after a protracted public courtship. Next week, Rodgers is anticipated to attend the required minicamp.
After playing for the Green Bay Packers for 18 years and the Jets for the last two, Rodgers was released by New York on March 12 and became a free agent for the first time in his career. After months of searching, he decided on the Steelers, who will play the Jets on the road in September to start the season. 7 and host the Packers on “Sunday Night Football” in October, a team Rodgers has never faced. 26.
In the beginning, the 41-year-old wanted to sign with the Minnesota Vikings, but the team chose to select 2024 first-round pick J instead. J. McCarthy has every chance of being selected for the starting position. Rodgers went to the Steelers’ facility on March 21 but left without signing a contract. Russell Wilson, the Steelers’ main starter in 2024, was signed by the New York Giants after he attracted their attention.
Art Rooney II, owner of the Steelers, expressed optimism that the veteran quarterback would join the team during the NFL Draft and at the annual league meeting in early April. In an interview in mid-April, Rodgers stated that he had not ruled out retirement but was awaiting a decision regarding his NFL future while attending to personal matters.
The Steelers were always certain they would sign Rodgers despite his hesitancy. With minicamp approaching next week, both parties can now at last breathe and move forward as a team.
Wilson and Justin Fields, who made six starts in Pittsburgh the previous season before leaving to sign a free agent contract with the Jets, will be replaced by Rodgers.
A new No will be given to Rodgers. 1 weapon in DK Metcalf, who trained with Rodgers this spring after the Steelers traded for the wide receiver from the Seattle Seahawks and then dealt George Pickens to the Dallas Cowboys. In addition, Pittsburgh selected Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the sixth round and signed quarterback Mason Rudolph to a two-year, $8 million contract.
After what may have been his worst season to date, Rodgers will play for head coach Mike Tomlin, whom he has frequently admired and who he defeated to win his only Super Bowl. In February 2011, Rodgers’ Packers defeated Tomlin’s Steelers 31–25 in Super Bowl XLV. With Rodgers going 7-9 and Tomlin 3-9 in the playoffs over the previous 14 seasons, neither team has returned to the big stage since.
His fit.
For at least as long as Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement in January 2022, the Steelers have been looking for a good quarterback. In 2024, Pittsburgh went the veteran route after swinging and missing out on Kenny Pickett in the first round of 2022, giving Wilson the team in the closing minutes. After a five-game losing streak ended that gamble, the Steelers thought about every possible course of action.
After Fields, a younger but less experienced player, decided to go elsewhere, the Steelers were left with a crowded market and a lackluster draft class. With an aging defense that will be the highest-paid in the NFL for the fourth straight year in 2025, they once again went with the veteran route in the hopes that Rodgers can make the most of the team’s remaining window.
impact in 2025.
The Steelers have been using an outdated strategy based on defense and the rushing attack for the past few years. Pittsburgh was the only team to run the ball more than three other teams last season. Furthermore, no team has spent a larger portion of the salary cap on defense over the previous three years.
The situation can be viewed in two ways now that Rodgers is part of the team. Initially, the Steelers could rely on their well-paid defense to support a run-heavy offense once more. They would be more supportive of Rodgers than the Jets were in this situation, even though they would acknowledge his shortcomings.
Going all in on Rodgers, who made the second-most pass attempts in the league in 2024, is the alternative. With Metcalf as a dynamic weapon, the Steelers could increase their offensive spread, but that seems less likely now that Pickens has been traded. Given that Rodgers frequently prefers accurate route runners over big-play, deep-ball weapons, Metcalf might be an intriguing schematic match.
With Rodgers on board, the Steelers’ redesigned offensive line—which includes 2024 second-round center Zach Frazier and 2023 and 2024 first-round tackles Broderick Jones and Troy Fautanu—will also be under more pressure. In order to protect Rodgers’ blind side, Jones, who gave up the second-most sacks in the league in 2024, will now need to switch from right to left tackle. Rodgers was the worst quarterback in the NFL against the blitz last season (minus-0.20 EPA per dropback) among quarterbacks with at least 300 passing attempts.
Update the cap.
According to Over the Cap, the Steelers had an estimated $601 million in cap space going into free agency. Prior to a Rodgers deal, their net worth was around $34 million. Rodgers previously stated that he would play for $10 million annually, which might give the Steelers some leeway to make other deals if necessary.
With a 41-year-old quarterback behind center, Pittsburgh may want to put all of its chips in the middle. However, there are a number of ways the team can free up more cap space. Extending outside linebacker T would be the most sensible course of action. The J. Watt, whose contract is about to expire, despite the fact that the market for edge rushers has exploded this offseason.
Forecast.
The Steelers have relied on their costly defense and offensive attack to support an aging quarterback on numerous occasions. They’re going to take that risk once more. If it succeeds, Rodgers might be the quarterback who ends Tomlin’s eight-year postseason winless streak. If not, as they have so frequently done recently, the Steelers will most likely hover around .500 once more before wrapping up their season in early January.
In any case, given the dangers and Rodgers’ advanced age, the Steelers will probably be searching the 2026 draft for their long-term future.
(Image courtesy of Justin Berl/Getty Images).
