After months of waiting, the Pittsburgh Steelers should receive finality this weekend as Aaron Rodgers weighs whether or not to return for the 2026 season. According to NFL Media, Rodgers is expected to visit the Steelers on Friday and through the weekend and is likely to re-sign with the team for another year.
While there is no deal in place, it appears Rodgers and the Steelers will work toward an agreement in the coming days. That is progress considering the future Hall of Famer had spent the entire offseason up to this point debating whether or not to play at all.
This is the closest the sides have been in coming to terms on a contract for 2026. The Steelers left the door open for their incumbent starter to reclaim his role, and team president Art Rooney II initially stated he expected Rodgers to make a decision before the draft. Now nearly two weeks removed from the draft, the Steelers reportedly set an unofficial deadline for their quarterback to make up his mind. According to the Post-Gazette, the club wants an answer by the start of OTAs on May 18.
With Rodgers’ visit scheduled for this weekend, things look to be on schedule to unfold ahead of that soft deadline.
The Steelers have not been shy about their desire to bring Rodgers back for another go. They have yet to add a quarterback in free agency, and the only player to join the group is Drew Allar, whom the team selected with the No. 76 overall pick in the NFL Draft. It is Rodgers’ team as long as he wants to play, and if not, Pittsburgh would be left with either Mason Rudolph or Will Howard as its starter.
The front office also took a step toward ensuring that if Rodgers suits up in 2026, it will be with the Steelers and not another team. Last week, they placed an unrestricted free agent tender on Rodgers. The rare tactic guarantees the Steelers a 2027 compensatory draft pick if the veteran quarterback signs elsewhere, and it bars Rodgers from negotiating with other teams until July 22. Beyond that date, Pittsburgh is the only team with which Rodgers can sign.
Rodgers will receive about a 9% raise if he signs that tender, which according to Spotrac is worth just over $15 million. He earned $13.65 million on his previous one-year deal.
That latter point is notable because Rodgers has been loosely linked to the Arizona Cardinals of late. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne openly recruited Rodgers to Arizona, and the 42-year-old is, on paper, a solid fit for this squad. The Cardinals do not have a franchise quarterback after releasing Kyler Murray, and they will likely only commit to a signal-caller for one or two years before handing the keys to their offense to a future draft pick.
