{"id":812301,"date":"2026-05-21T13:49:14","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:49:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/812301\/"},"modified":"2026-05-21T13:49:14","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T13:49:14","slug":"aaron-rodgers-says-the-2026-nfl-season-will-be-his-last","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/812301\/","title":{"rendered":"Aaron Rodgers says the 2026 NFL season will be his last"},"content":{"rendered":"

PITTSBURGH (AP) \u2014 Aaron Rodgers<\/a> took his time before deciding he wanted to come back<\/a> for a 22nd season. The Pittsburgh Steelers<\/a> quarterback already has made up his mind about a 23rd: There won\u2019t be one.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is it,\u201d Rodgers said Wednesday when the four-time NFL MVP was asked if this would be his final year.<\/p>\n

The 42-year-old did not expand on why he came to that conclusion. Maybe because there was no need.<\/p>\n

Rodgers acknowledged that he thought his time in Pittsburgh \u2014 and perhaps the league \u2014 was over when Steelers coach Mike Tomlin<\/a> stepped down the day after a blowout first-round playoff loss<\/a> to Houston in January.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) loses possession of the ball while being tackled by Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Jan. 12, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo\/Justin Berl, File)<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) loses possession of the ball while being tackled by Houston Texans defensive end Danielle Hunter (55) during the second half of an NFL wild-card playoff football game, Jan. 12, 2026, in Pittsburgh. (AP Photo\/Justin Berl, File)<\/p>\n

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Things changed when Pittsburgh hired Mike McCarthy<\/a> a few weeks later, a decision that Rodgers said he may have played a small role in when he encouraged Steelers general manager Omar Khan to talk to McCarthy. Rodgers and McCarthy spent 13 years together in Green Bay, winning a Super Bowl while becoming a playoff fixture.<\/p>\n

McCarthy and Rodgers stayed in constant communication in recent months as Rodgers weighed whether to run it back one last time. While there was no one tipping point, the relative health of his 42-year-old body and the chance to have his career come \u201cfull circle\u201d with a team that spent the offseason upgrading the offense in hopes of ending a lengthy playoff victory drought led to a reunion he called \u201csurreal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is like a (bunch of) \u2018pinch me\u2019 moments that have happened in the last few days,\u201d Rodgers said following the second day of Pittsburgh\u2019s voluntary organized team activities.<\/p>\n

Perhaps because McCarthy hardly came back to his hometown alone.<\/p>\n

The familiar faces from Rodgers\u2019 time in Green Bay are everywhere inside the Steelers\u2019 facility, from defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to offensive line coach James Campen. There are \u201cgetting the band back together\u201d vibes everywhere Rodgers looks.<\/p>\n

\"Green<\/p>\n

\n Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) talks with Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy prior to an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Dec. 27, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo\/Ross D. Franklin, File)\n <\/p>\n

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) talks with Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy prior to an NFL football game against the Arizona Cardinals, Dec. 27, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo\/Ross D. Franklin, File)<\/p>\n

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\"Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

\n Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, left, and head coach Mike McCarthy participate during NFL football practice in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Gene J. Puskar)\n <\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, left, and head coach Mike McCarthy participate during NFL football practice in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Gene J. Puskar)<\/p>\n

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When Rodgers plopped into a chair for a meeting on Monday, in many ways it felt like it was 2006, when he was entering his second year in Green Bay as Brett Favre\u2019s backup and McCarthy was a first-year head coach still finding his way.<\/p>\n

\u201cTook me back to being a 22-year-old kid,\u201d Rodgers said with a smile.<\/p>\n

Only he\u2019s hardly that anymore. While the oldest player in the NFL turned back the clock enough last season to throw for 24 touchdowns against seven interceptions and guide the Steelers to the AFC North title, he also missed a game after breaking several bones<\/a> in his left wrist and looked very much his age during the second half of what became a blowout loss to the Texans that ended both Pittsburgh\u2019s season and Tomlin\u2019s largely successful 19-year run as head coach.<\/p>\n

Still, Rodgers believes he has enough left to attempt the rarest of exits for players of his stature: the ability to go out on his own terms.<\/p>\n

McCarthy said Rodgers \u201ccan still throw it with anybody,\u201d though the time of year when Rodgers will be asked to really cut it loose is still months away. Perhaps Rodgers\u2019 most important job through OTAs, minicamp and training camp is helping the Steelers prepare for life without him.<\/p>\n

While McCarthy and Rodgers stayed in constant communication as Rodgers hung out in Malibu, California, with his wife and weighed his options for 2026, the Steelers selected Penn State quarterback Drew Allar<\/a> in the third round of the draft, and McCarthy has talked up 2025 sixth-round choice Will Howard<\/a> at every turn since taking over.<\/p>\n

Allar and Howard figure to be in the mix this time next year when the Steelers restart their quest to find a long-term solution at the game\u2019s most important position, a search that\u2019s been ongoing since Ben Roethlisberger\u2019s retirement in January 2022.<\/p>\n

Rodgers\u2019 presence offers a cheat code of sorts. He knows all the answers to the test, particularly when the test is offered by McCarthy. Allar and Howard will get to spend the next seven or so months soaking up what they can from Rodgers about what McCarthy wants and perhaps more importantly, how he wants it.<\/p>\n

McCarthy called Rodgers \u201ca tremendous resource\u201d who also happens to be a future Hall of Famer, giving him a certain cachet that might make him a better conduit for what McCarthy is trying to teach than the coach himself.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"Pittsburgh<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws during NFL football practice in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Gene J. Puskar)<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) throws during NFL football practice in Pittsburgh, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo\/Gene J. Puskar)<\/p>\n

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\u201cIt\u2019s like parenting,\u201d McCarthy said. \u201cI could sit there and tell my kids something, and then, like if he\u2019d walk in and tell my son George something, he\u2019d jump out the window and do it.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Rodgers took a friendly jab at Favre \u2014 whom he sat behind during the first three years of his career \u2014 by borrowing a phrase from Favre that mentoring is \u201cnot in my job description,\u201d the reality is it\u2019s a role he relishes.<\/p>\n

Just not as much as the chance to win. When Rodgers signed with the Steelers a year ago, he called the decision \u201cbest for my soul.\u201d It\u2019s much the same this time around.<\/p>\n

He likes what the team has done by trading for wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.<\/a>, signing running back Rico Dowdle and drafting wideout Germie Bernard. The offensive line could be better with Troy Fautanu moving over to left tackle. The defense still has a pair of franchise icons in defensive lineman Cam Heyward and outside linebacker TJ Watt.<\/p>\n

And now it has a quarterback eager to soak up every last bit of the final chapter of a career that will end with a gold jacket and a bust in the Hall of Fame. Just not quite yet.<\/p>\n

\u201cI am excited about these guys,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019m excited about the team.\u201d<\/p>\n

___<\/p>\n

AP NFL: https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/NFL<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PITTSBURGH (AP) \u2014 Aaron Rodgers took his time before deciding he wanted to come back for a 22nd…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":812302,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[10],"tags":[2390,87049,34573,52870,70473,1318,2788,241657,216087,139638,17666,1232,9341,6200,5217,262032,2830,1545,116400,62,48763,5079,67,132,68,7954],"class_list":["post-812301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-aaron-rodgers","tag-ben-roethlisberger","tag-brett-favre","tag-cam-heyward","tag-drew-allar","tag-football","tag-germie-bernard","tag-james-campen","tag-michael-pittman-jr","tag-mike-mccarthy","tag-mike-tomlin","tag-nfl","tag-nfl-football","tag-omar-khan","tag-pa-state-wire","tag-patrick-graham","tag-pennsylvania","tag-pittsburgh-steelers","tag-rico-dowdle","tag-sports","tag-sports-retirements","tag-troy-fautanu","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-will-howard"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/116612890091544917","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=812301"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/812301\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/812302"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=812301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=812301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=812301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}