Aaron Rodgers confirmed he will retire from the NFL after the 2026 season. The announcement came during a Steelers media session in Pittsburgh on May 20, 2026 [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
Rodgers, 42 years old and turning 43 in December 2026, will complete his 22nd NFL season before stepping away from the game [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6]. He signed a one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers earlier this year reportedly worth up to $25 million [1, 4].
The Steelers hired coach Mike McCarthy this offseason, reuniting Rodgers with the coach who led him for 13 seasons in Green Bay [1, 4]. Rodgers described the reunion as a "full circle moment" and said, "Honestly, sitting in the first 8 o'clock meeting on Monday took me back to being a 22-year-old kid sitting in Green Bay, listening to Mike's first meeting in 2006... It's fun. It's like 'pinch me' moments" [1, 4].
Rodgers said he considered retiring when Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin resigned in January 2026 after a wild-card playoff loss, calling it "an emotional moment". "I thought that was probably it for me in Pittsburgh, But when the decision was made to hire [McCarthy], I started opening my mind back up to coming back," he said [1].
A four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XLV champion with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers ranks fourth all-time with 527 career passing touchdowns and has elite career completions and passing yards statistics, totaling approximately 66,274 yards [1, 2, 3, 5, 6]. He is widely regarded as one of the best quarterbacks in NFL history due to his high touchdown-to-interception ratio and passer rating [3].
Rodgers' performance dipped in 2025, partly due to limited mobility at age 42, including a tough playoff game with multiple sacks and turnovers [3].
Rodgers is expected to lead the Steelers for the entirety of the 2026 season before retiring at its conclusion [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6].
