Quarterback Aaron Rodgers is officially a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Rodgers arrived in Pittsburgh on Saturday and signed a one-year, $13.7 million contract that includes $10 million guaranteed and can reach a maximum value of $19.5 million. Rodgers' contract includes $5.85 million worth of "playtime and team performance incentives," Schefter added.
NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported Thursday that Rodgers informed the Steelers he would fly into Pittsburgh this weekend to sign with the organization. The Steelers later confirmed that they had agreed to a one-year deal with the 41-year-old. According to Pelissero (h/t NFL.com's Bobby Kownack), Rodgers is expected to be on the field for the start of Steelers minicamp on Tuesday.
Rodgers is best known for his 18-year run with the Green Bay Packers, which saw him earn 10 Pro Bowl nods, four First Team All-Pro selections, four NFL MVP Awards, one Super Bowl win and one Super Bowl MVP Award. After doing it all in Green Bay, Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets prior to the 2023 season, but his first year in New York ended as soon as it started when he tore his Achilles on the Jets' first offensive series of the regular season. Rodgers rehabbed and managed to return to start all 17 games for the Jets last season, but things didn't go as hoped.
While Rodgers put up decent numbers by completing 63.0 percent of his passes for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, the Jets went just 5-12. After making changes at general manager and head coach, the Jets released Rodgers during the offseason, paving the way for him to play his 21st NFL season elsewhere. Once the New York Giants signed veteran quarterbacks Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, and the Minnesota Vikings committed to J.J. McCarthy as their starting quarterback, Pittsburgh essentially became the only viable option for Rodgers.
Despite that, a will-he-or-won't-he saga ensued over the course of several weeks with fans being left to wonder if they might have to enter the 2025 season with Mason Rudolph as the starter. However, it now appears that Rodgers is entrenched as the Steelers' starting quarterback for 2025, and he will be tasked with taking them to the playoffs for a third consecutive year and the fifth time in the past six years. While the Steelers have never had a losing record under head coach Mike Tomlin, they also haven't won a playoff game since 2016.
