Aaron Rodgers again took his time to contemplate the next step of his career, but he won’t extend his wait into the summer this time around.
Rodgers agreed to sign a one-year contract to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to multiple reports, opting to push forward with a 22nd season in his storied career. He visited the team earlier in May, per multiple reports, with the expectation that he would sign shortly thereafter.
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The move brings clarity for both the 42-year-old quarterback and coach Mike McCarthy, who previously coached Rodgers for 13 seasons in Green Bay.
After signing a one-year deal with the Steelers last June, Rodgers told “The Pat McAfee Show” that he was “pretty sure” he would not play beyond the deal. Yet after McCarthy was hired to succeed Mike Tomlin, who resigned after a 19-year run, the coach made it clear he would welcome a reunion with the four-time NFL MVP.
“I mean definitely. I don’t see why you wouldn’t,” McCarthy said at his introductory news conference when asked whether he wanted Rodgers back with the team. “I have spoken to Aaron, and so that’s really where we are there, but I was able to sit back and watch the games and watch most of the Pittsburgh games on TV, and I thought he was a great asset for the team.”
Still, Rodgers bided his time after acknowledging he would again weigh his options, including retirement. Team owner and president Art Rooney II said at the league meetings in March that he expected a decision from the quarterback by the draft, but the event passed without any movement.
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The Steelers, however, remained resolute in wanting him back.
“We’ve had some great communication with Aaron and nothing’s changed, but it’s all been positive and good,” Steelers general manager Omar Khan said in April. “And I said this to you guys in March when we met: he knows how we feel about him and we know how he feels about us.”
The Steelers in May applied the seldom used unrestricted free agent tender on Rodgers, but Rooney later explained it was strictly a procedural move that would open the possibility for a compensatory pick if the quarterback signed elsewhere.
The Steelers will enter the start of organized team activities on May 18 with a level of certainty behind center that didn’t exist at this point last year, when Rodgers waited until just before mandatory minicamp to join the organization.
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McCarthy said he wasn’t concerned by any potential delay in Rodgers’ return affecting the offense’s offseason preparations.
“I think Aaron is probably more in tune than we would realize, but I have confidence in where he would be the day he would arrive, if that’s his decision,” McCarthy said in April.
Rodgers last season threw for 3,322 passing yards and 24 touchdowns with seven interceptions while leading the Steelers to the AFC North title. He ranked just 21st among qualified passers in expected points added per dropback, however, with short and quick throws constituting the overwhelming bulk of his work.
While that approach helped keep pass rushers at bay in the regular season, things unraveled in a 30-6 wild-card loss to the Houston Texans. Rodgers took four sacks, including one in which he lost a fumble that was returned for a score, and also threw a pick-six on his final pass attempt.
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The Steelers selected Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the third round of this year’s draft, but McCarthy said the pick was not tied to Rodgers.
“We want to grow the quarterback room,” said McCarthy, who also has 2025 fifth-round pick Will Howard and veteran backup Mason Rudolph available to him. “We don’t want to just rely on one quarterback.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Aaron Rodgers contract: QB to re-sign with Pittsburgh Steelers
