Aaron Rodgers may still want to play football and could do so in Pittsburgh.
The four-time NFL MVP met with the Steelers on Friday, according to a person familiar with the visit who spoke to The Associated Press. The person asked to remain anonymous because the meeting was not publicly announced. Rodgers spent several hours at the team’s facility gathering information but left without signing a contract.
Pittsburgh currently needs a quarterback. Justin Fields, who, along with Russell Wilson, helped the Steelers achieve a 10-7 record and make the playoffs last season, signed with the Jets last week. Wilson is now a free agent and doesn’t seem to be part of Pittsburgh’s plans for 2025.
The Steelers recently signed veteran backup Mason Rudolph to a two-year contract but still have space on the roster for more quarterbacks.
The 41-year-old Rodgers seems to be taking his time with the decision. He has spent time in California recently trying to decide if he wants to return for a 21st season.
Rodgers’ slow decision-making process has frustrated longtime Steelers defensive captain Cam Heyward. The four-time All-Pro voiced his irritation on his podcast earlier this week.
“Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t, it’s that simple,” Heyward said. “That’s the pitch. If you want me to recruit, that’s the recruiting pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers. If you want to be part of it, so be it. If you don’t, no skin off my back.”
Aaron Rodgers reacts in the 4th quarterRodgers may be looking to end his career on a more positive note after two tough seasons in New York
A torn left Achilles tendon just a few plays into his first game with the Jets in 2023 ended his season. He came back last fall at 40 years old and threw 28 touchdown passes and 11 interceptions, but he was also involved in off-the-field drama as the Jets finished 5-12.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin has always admired Rodgers, who led the Green Bay Packers to a Super Bowl win over Tomlin and the Steelers after the 2010 season. The two have had a few important in-game moments since, including last fall when they acknowledged each other when Tomlin called a timeout just before Rodgers could catch Pittsburgh with 12 men on the field during a Steelers blowout of the Jets.
Pittsburgh is trying to move past a decade of being good but not great, with consistent winning seasons followed by quick playoff exits.
The Steelers’ quarterback situation has been unstable since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season. The player starting in Week 1 this September will be the team’s fifth different starting quarterback in as many years, following Roethlisberger, Mitch Trubisky, Kenny Pickett, and Fields.
A year after the Steelers signed Wilson on a low-cost deal following his difficult exit from Denver, they might be willing to take another chance on a player with a Hall of Fame career but a lot of issues.
Rodgers was traded to the Jets in April 2023 after 18 seasons with the Packers, hoping to help the team break a Super Bowl drought that dates back to the days of Joe Namath and the 1968 season.
Aaron Rodgers walks off the field after the lossRodgers ended his time with the Jets with six wins
Including the game where he got injured — in 18 starts. His 28 touchdown passes and 3,897 passing yards last year are both the third-best single-season totals in franchise history. However, he struggled with some mobility early on and dealt with several leg injuries, including a hamstring issue that slowed him down.
If Rodgers decides to play for Pittsburgh, he might be behind an offensive line that struggled to protect Wilson late in the 2024 season as the Steelers lost their last five games, including a heavy loss to Baltimore in the first round of the playoffs.
Whoever the quarterback is will have plenty of weapons to work with. The Steelers traded for two-time Pro Bowl wide receiver DK Metcalf and gave him a five-year contract.
George Pickens is one of the most talented receivers in the league, though he has been known for his bad attitude both on the field and with the media, and his future in Pittsburgh is unclear as he enters the final year of his rookie contract.
Add in reliable tight end Pat Freiermuth and the running back duo of Jaylen Warren and newly signed Kenneth Gainwell, and the Steelers have some exciting players and a sense of urgency with Heyward near the end of his career and outside linebacker T.J. Watt past his prime.
Rodgers’ best years are behind him. But with the 21st pick in a draft with limited quarterback talent and not much available in free agency, the Steelers might think Rodgers still has enough to keep them competitive while they focus on finding long-term stability at quarterback for 2026.
