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Aaron Rodgers announced that the 2026 NFL season with the Pittsburgh Steelers will be his last.The 42-year-old quarterback previously considered retiring after the 2025 season.Aaron Rodgers will play his final season in the NFL in 2026.The veteran Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback made the announcement that his 22nd NFL season would also be his last in his first media availability session since re-signing.Rodgers, 42, also spoke about his offseason experience and how he arrived at his decision ahead of putting pen to paper on a new contract with the Steelers on May 18."There was some doubt, for sure," Rodgers said. "But I had some good conversations with (new Steelers head coach) Mike (McCarthy) back when he was hired. It's nice to come back. It felt different than last year. I knew some of the guys and some of the people who work here, so it felt good coming in."Rodgers said conversations he had with McCarthy, Steelers general manager Omar Khan and his wife were a significant part of his decision. He told reporters that he made his final conclusion about playing in 2026 after this year's NFL draft, which took place in Pittsburgh.The 42-year-old veteran also called his initial meetings with the Steelers' new head coach "surreal." Rodgers' decision to return to Pittsburgh meant reuniting with McCarthy, who served as Rodgers' head coach with the Packers from 2006 to 2018.If it weren't for the Steelers hiring McCarthy, Rodgers says, he would have left after the 2025 season."I love Mike [Tomlin], man," Rodgers said. "I really appreciated the opportunity to come in last year and loved my experience with him. I thought, when he said he was stepping away ... that was probably it for me in Pittsburgh. But when the decision came in to hire [McCarthy], I started opening my mind back up to coming back."Is Aaron Rodgers retiring?During his media availability session on May 20, Rodgers told reporters that he plans to retire after the 2026 season."Yes," Rodgers said when asked if the coming year would be his last. "This is it."That does not necessarily mean he will definitely be hanging up his cleats after this year. Last June, the veteran quarterback told ESPN's "Pat McAfee Show" that he was "pretty sure" the 2025 season would be his final year in the NFL."That's why we just did a one-year deal," Rodgers said at the time. "Steelers didn't need to put any extra years on that or anything. This was really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I've had. I mean, I've played freaking 20 years, you know? It's been a long run, and I've enjoyed it."After the Steelers lost their wild-card playoff game to the Houston Texans to end last year, Rodgers did not commit to retiring before the 2026 season."I’m not going to make any emotional decisions," Rodgers said in January. "Disappointed, you know, obviously. Such a fun year, a lot of adversity, but a lot of fun."The veteran quarterback is back in Pittsburgh for at least another year, but he's now declared 2026 will be his final season.Steelers 2026 scheduleWeek 1 – Sept. 13: vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1 p.m. ET, FoxWeek 2 – Sept. 20: at New England Patriots, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 3 – Sept. 27: vs. Cincinnati Bengals, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 4 – Oct. 1: at Cleveland Browns, 8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video ("Thursday Night Football")Week 5 – Oct. 11: vs. Indianapolis Colts, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 6 – Oct. 18: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 7 – Oct. 25: at New Orleans Saints, 9:30 a.m. ET, NFL Network (Paris game)Week 8 – Nov. 1: vs. Cleveland Browns, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 9: BYEWeek 10 – Nov. 15: at Cincinnati Bengals, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC ("Sunday Night Football")Week 11 – Nov. 22: at Philadelphia Eagles, 4:25 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 12 – Nov. 27: vs. Denver Broncos, 4 p.m. ET, Prime Video (Black Friday game)Week 13 – Dec. 6: at Houston Texans, 8:20 p.m. ET, NBC ("Sunday Night Football")Week 14 – Dec. 14: at Jacksonville Jaguars, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN ("Monday Night Football")Week 15 – Dec. 20: vs. Baltimore Ravens, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 16 – TBD: vs. Carolina Panthers, TBD, TBDWeek 17 – Jan. 3: at Tennessee Titans, 1 p.m. ET, CBSWeek 18 – TBD: at Baltimore Ravens, TBD, TBDAaron Rodgers career earningsRodgers has made $395,812,794 in his career, according to OverTheCap. The quarterback has collected checks from the Green Bay Packers, New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers in his first 21 seasons.Here's the salary breakdown by team:Pittsburgh Steelers: $14,120,588Green Bay Packers: $306,642,206New York Jets: $75,050,000When was Aaron Rodgers drafted?The Packers drafted Rodgers with the No. 24 overall pick after a somewhat infamous slide in the 2005 NFL Draft.That year, the San Francisco 49ers were in need of a quarterback and owned the No. 1 overall pick. Instead of Rodgers, they drafted Utah product Alex Smith. When Rodgers slid past the top-20, Green Bay made the surprising decision at the time to select the young quarterback out of Cal as an eventual successor to then-starter Brett Favre.For the first three years of his career, Rodgers was on the Packers roster but only appeared in seven games – never as a starter. He eventually became the team's starting quarterback in the 2008 season after Green Bay traded Favre to the Jets. Rodgers started all 16 games that year, and the Packers went 6-10.Aaron Rodgers 2025 statsRodgers played and started 16 of the Steelers' 17 games last year. The only game he missed in his 21st NFL season was against the Bears in Chicago due to a wrist injury. Here's how his stats looked in his age-42 season:Completion rate: 327-for-498 (65.7%)Passing yards: 3,322Passing TDs: 24INTs: 7Yards per attempt: 6.7Passer rating: 94.8Rushing: 21 attempts for 61 yards (2.9 yards per carry) and one touchdownThe caveat to Rodgers' impressive completion rate is a diminished average depth of target (ADOT). Rodgers' 6.6-yard ADOT in 2025 was the shortest of any quarterback to attempt at least 200 passes last season, per Pro Football Focus. It also marked the lowest ADOT of his career.The veteran quarterback did not throw nearly as many passes 10+ yards downfield as he did in years past. A majority of Rodgers' throws in 2025 were close to – and often behind – the line of scrimmage.How old is Aaron Rodgers?Rodgers is 42 years old. Since his birthday is in December, the Steelers' quarterback will be 43 years old by the time the regular season wraps up in early January 2027.Rodgers is the oldest active quarterback in the NFL but he is sixth all-time among quarterbacks to have started a game. Tom Brady (17 starts at 45 years old) is the oldest starting quarterback in history. George Blanda (three pass attempts at 48) is the oldest quarterback to appear in a game.Aaron Rogers career statsDespite a relative statistical decline over the past few seasons, Rodgers' numbers paint the picture of a likely future Hall of Famer. Here's his career stats heading into Season 22:Completion rate: 5,696-of-8,743 (65.1%)Passing yards: 66,274Passing TDs: 527INTs: 123Yards per attempt: 7.6Passer rating: 102.2Rushing: 762 attempts for 3,634 yards (4.8 yards per carry) and 36 touchdownsRodgers is currently the active leader in completions, passing yards and passing touchdowns. He's also on pace to finish his career as the all-time leader in career interception percentage (1.4%) and passer rating.How many seasons has Aaron Rodgers played?Rodgers has played 21 seasons in the NFL so far, with the 2026 season set to be his 22nd year in the league. Here's a breakdown of the teams he's played for over the course of his career:Green Bay Packers (2005-22)New York Jets (2023-24)Pittsburgh Steelers (2025-2026)Rodgers spent the first 18 years of his career in Green Bay, where he won four NFL MVP awards, earned 10 Pro Bowl nods and was named Super Bowl 45 MVP in a Packers victory over the Steelers. Since then, he has played 18 games for the Jets and 16 games for Pittsburgh.All-time, Rodgers has a 163-93-1 career record as a starter across the three teams he's played for.Aaron Rodgers last season statsRodgers started 16 games for the Steelers during the 2025 NFL season. Here's a look at how he performed statistically across that action.Record: 10-6Completion rate: 65.7%Passing yards: 3,322Passing TDs: 24INTs: 7Yards per attempt: 6.7Passer rating: 94.8QBR: 44.4Carries: 21Rushing yards: 61Rushing TDs: 1Rodgers largely operated as a game manager during his first season at Pittsburgh. He was efficient, as his 65.7% completion rate was his best since his penultimate season with the Packers in 2021. He also took just 29 sacks – his fewest in a full season since 2020 – thanks to his 2.59-second average time to throw, which ranked as the fastest among 33 qualified NFL quarterbacks, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats.Aaron Rodgers last season statsRodgers started 16 games for the Steelers during the 2025 NFL season. Here's a look at how he performed statistically across that action.Record: 10-6Completion rate: 65.7%Passing yards: 3,322Passing TDs: 24INTs: 7Yards per attempt: 6.7Passer rating: 94.8QBR: 44.4Carries: 21Rushing yards: 61Rushing TDs: 1Rodgers largely operated as a game manager during his first season at Pittsburgh. He was efficient, as his 65.7% completion rate was his best since his penultimate season with the Packers in 2021. He also took just 29 sacks – his fewest in a full season since 2020 – thanks to his 2.59-second average time to throw, which ranked as the fastest among 33 qualified NFL quarterbacks, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats.That said, Rodgers didn't frequently push the ball downfield. He focused more on the quick passing game, relying on slants, screens and checkdowns to move the ball instead of more explosive chunk plays.That's why Rodgers' average depth of target (ADOT) ranked 42nd among 45 quarterbacks to attempt at least 100 passes last season, per Sumer Sports, which led to his 27th-ranked yards per attempt mark of 6.7. He also ranked just 21st among the 33 qualified quarterbacks in EPA per dropback.Could Rodgers perform better in 2025? It's possible, and he should at least benefit from the Steelers' upgraded receiving corps that better suits his skill set at this point in his career.Pittsburgh traded for veteran receiver Michael Pittman Jr. – a sure-handed receiver whose 3 yards of average separation ranked 26th among 77 qualified receivers last season, per the NFL's Next Gen Stats – to serve as a No. 2 receiver across from DK Metcalf. The Steelers also selected Germie Bernard – a a productive wide-out from Alabama who has great route-running skills – in the second round of the 2026 NFL Draft to provide Rodgers with another reliable target.Even so, Rodgers seems more likely to repeat his performance from 2025 than significantly improve upon it. He simply doesn't have the consistent, downfield passing ability he once did, so his best self will be as an efficient game manager.Has Aaron Rodgers ever won a Super Bowl?Yes, Rodgers has won one Super Bowl during his career – a 31-25 Green Bay Packers victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl 45.Rodgers starred during the contest, completing 24 of 39 passes for 304 yards and three touchdowns. He had a 111.5 passer rating – 24-best in Super Bowl history among quarterbacks to attempt at least 10 passes, per Stathead – and was named the Super Bowl MVP for his efforts.Super Bowl 45 remains Rodgers' only career Super Bowl appearance. He made it to the NFC championship game on four occasions after Super Bowl 45, but the Packers lost all of those appearances.When will Aaron Rodgers be eligible for the Hall of Fame?If Rodgers does, in fact, retire after the 2026 NFL season, he will be eligible for induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as part of its 2032 class. Players are required to stay retired for five consecutive seasons before being given a gold jacket and being enshrined in Canton.Rodgers will have a good case to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, as he ranks top-five in both passing yards (66,724) and passing touchdowns (527) while boasting the highest passer rating (102.2) and the lowest interception rate (1.4%) among qualified passers.Aaron Rodgers Super Bowl winsBelow is a full list of Aaron Rodgers' Super Bowl wins:Super Bowl 45: Green Bay Packers 31, Pittsburgh Steelers 25
