Will Aaron Rodgers Retire: Steelers QB Faces Major Decision Entering the Offseason

The Pittsburgh Steelers and Aaron Rodgers both have pivotal decisions to make entering the 2026 season.

The AFC North champions finished 10-7 and reached the Wild Card round with the 42-year-old Rodgers during his first campaign in the black and gold. His connection to newly-appointed head coach Mike McCarthy will also be a great allure, if the team even wants him back.

What’s next for Rodgers: another season or retirement? And what course will the Steelers plot in the first year of the McCarthy era?

Aaron Rodgers Retirement Chances

According to Kalshi, there is a 42.1 percent chance that Aaron Rodgers retires before the 2026-27 season. That’s down from the 49 percent he had just one week ago.

Rodgers closed out his 21st NFL season with 3,322 yards (15th), 24 touchdowns (13th), and seven interceptions. His final game, a 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card, saw him finish 17/33 with 146 yards and an interception. 

He also registered the lowest EPA per play of any quarterback with at least 20 passing attempts in a playoff game since 2013.

The Steelers have not had a long-term answer at quarterback for years. Ben Roethlisberger’s flame expired quickly, and all of Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, Mitchell Trubisky, Justin Fields, and Russell Wilson tried and failed to show that they were the solution to the problem.

With Rodgers preparing to be 43 during the next NFL season, he also does not provide long-term stability.

With that hanging over their heads, it’s up to the Steelers to determine if the devil they know is worse than the one they don’t.

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Why Rodgers and the Steelers Could Run it Back

Rodgers and McCarthy’s relationship was strained toward the end of their time together in Green Bay. However, the future Hall of Fame quarterback has gone on record saying that it is water under the bridge.

“I think time always can be a great healer, not that there needed to be a lot of healing in our relationship,” Rogers said, per the Athletic’s Matt Schneidman. “There was always so much love.

“[The Super Bowl is] always gonna connect us and bond us, and with time, it’s just increased the greater gratitude that I have for him, the time we spent together, the love I have for him and the appreciation for what he meant to my career.”

The 2026 quarterback free agent class isn’t stuffed with many obvious solutions to the Steelers’ problem. Aside from Rodgers, the most in demand players are expected to be Daniel Jones, who is recovering from a torn Achilles, backups Malik Willis and Marcus Mariota, and former Steelers Russell Wilson, Mitchell Trubisky and Kenny Pickett.

Younger alternatives include Zach Wilson, Sam Howell, Hendon Hooker, and Tyler Huntley.

Will the Steelers Draft a Quarterback?

A possible answer to the Pittsburgh QB dilemma could come in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson’s decision to forego another year of college football means that he will be a hot commodity during the April draft process. According to Simpson, all but one of the teams he spoke to told him they gave him a first-round grade.

With the 21st pick in the draft, the Steelers could be in the perfect position to snag the Crimson Tide signal-caller in a draft dominated by receivers and defensive players. 

Simpson finished his junior season, his only as a starter, with 3,567 yards (11th), 28 touchdowns (t-12th), and five interceptions. Alabama went 11-4 and lost to the national champions, Indiana, in the CFP quarterfinal, 38-3.

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