- - Aaron Rodgers unlikely to return to Steelers, so what are his realistic options for next season?

Frank Schwab January 15, 2026 at 11:47 PM

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After Mike Tomlin stepped down as Pittsburgh Steelers coach, it affected Aaron Rodgers’ future too.

Steelers president Art Rooney II said this week what seemed pretty evident: Rodgers probably wasn’t coming back to Pittsburgh since Tomlin was gone.

“Aaron came here to play for Mike. So it will most likely affect his decision,” Rooney said.

So what happens next with Rodgers if he wants to keep playing? The truth is his options will be slim. A few teams might be in need of a quarterback, but that list will be short. It was short last season too, but Rodgers and the Steelers needed each other and it was a reasonably successful one-year arrangement.

Here are Rodgers’ (few) options heading into the offseason:

Minnesota Vikings

This would complete the Brett Favre circle, from Packers to Jets to Vikings to finish things off. There were conversations last offseason about Rodgers and the Vikings, but it didn’t make enough sense then. The Vikings wanted to see what they had in J.J. McCarthy and it wouldn’t have been ideal to bring in Rodgers. After McCarthy struggled for most of his first season starting, the Vikings talked about adding depth to the quarterback room. Could that be Rodgers? This time around it might fit. It would be like the Colts bringing in Daniel Jones to compete with Anthony Richardson last season, after Richardson had some troubling signs through two seasons. It would also be unbelievable for Rodgers to follow the same path as Favre (other than the one-year stopover in Pittsburgh) at the end of his career.

Aaron Rodgers has a decision to make about his future after his season ended last week. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images) (Cooper Neill via Getty Images)Retirement

Rodgers played pretty well last season. Considering the history of 42-year-old quarterbacks, it was amazing. Before Rodgers, only Tom Brady had any level of success at age 42. The history of quarterbacks at age 43 is predictably worse. Much worse. The only seven quarterbacks to appear in one game at age 43 or older are Brady, George Blanda, Vinny Testaverde, Warren Moon, Doug Flutie, Steve DeBerg and Philip Rivers. Other than Brady, Rivers was the best of that group with an 80.2 passer rating in three games. Blanda is next best with a 66.1 passer rating. It’s not pretty.

Maybe Rodgers could defy history again. But that’s far from a guarantee. Rodgers hinted at the 2025 season being his final one, then late in the season kept the door open for a potential return in 2026. But clearly at his age, retirement is on the table. Going out with a rough season on his fourth team in five seasons isn’t how any legend wants to leave the game.

Wait around for an opening

Speaking of Philip Rivers, there are always quarterback injuries through a season. Teams get desperate. Even Rivers, after almost five full seasons off and at age 44, got a call from a Colts team that had few other options. In comparison, Rodgers at age 43 (he’ll be 42 until December) who played at a reasonably high level the previous season, would be a popular call for a team in need. Then Rodgers could assess each potential team’s playoff viability and make a decision late in the season that best suits him.

The others

If Rodgers wants to join a team during the offseason — maybe late in the offseason, given how long he waited last year to sign with the Steelers — there will be teams that don’t have ideal quarterback situations. If the Dolphins move on from Tua Tagovailoa, they’ll need someone to play quarterback. The Jets might need a quarterback too, but a reunion there is never happening after how that relationship ended. Perhaps the Steelers will reemerge an option if they strike out in other avenues to find a quarterback, as unlikely as Rodgers returning there seems now. It could be just like last offseason, when Rodgers and the Steelers were the only realistic options for each other. Maybe the Cardinals make a call? There aren’t many obvious answers outside of perhaps Minnesota, which is why Rodgers returning is no sure thing.

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Source: “AOL Sports”