Aaron Rodgers handed pay rise with unexpected Steelers commitment but QB limbo lingers

Aaron Rodgers isn’t done just yet.

After another prolonged decision making process, ESPN’s senior NFL insider Adam Schefter reported that Rodgers will be returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

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The deal is worth $22 million, with the opportunity to rise to $25 million through performance incentives and in something of a surprise move the 42-year-old is expected to participate in the Steelers OTA’s that begin on May 18.

It’s a sharp rise for Rodgers who signed with the Steelers in 2025 in 1 $13.65m deal, missed OTAs and little improvement on the field.

A third successive 10-7 mean a wild card spot and then a third successive defeat in the wild card card of the playoffs thanks to a humbling 30-6 loss to the Houston Texans.

Saturday’s decision comes weeks after the Steelers placed a UFA tender on Rodgers in a procedural move.

The tender would either give Pittsburgh a compensatory pick if he signed elsewhere before training camp or restrict his ability to sign with another team once camp begins.

Though the Steelers remained confident and in communication with Rodgers throughout the process.

The quarterback still made the decision on his own timeline despite team owner and president Art Rooney II publicly saying the organization expected a conclusion by the start of the NFL draft.

Rodgers left it until June in 2025, and how Steelers brass and fans can breathe that they have their starting quarterback for 2026.

Rodgers’ first season in Pittsburgh was inconsistent and ended with the worst playoff performance of his career in a wild-card loss to the Houston Texans.

He finished the season completing 65.7% of his attempts, his best mark since 2021, and threw for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions.

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That defeat marked the end of an era for the Steelers, with Mike Tomlin stepping away from the head coaching position after 19 seasons at the helm.

It seemed that could be the end of dreams for a round two with Rodgers in the Steel City, but less than two weeks later, the Steelers filled their head coaching vacancy.

In a move that did not go down well with fans, the Steelers brought in Mike McCarthy, who coached Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers from 2006-2018 and together won Super Bowl XLV over Pittsburgh in 2011.

From that point, it seemed an inevitability that the four-time MVP would return to don the Black and Gold once again, but still, questions about the future remain.

Steelers legend questions Rodgers succession plan

In the third round of the 2026 NFL Draft, the Steelers selected Penn State quarterback Drew Allar.

Allar had an ‘unheard-of’ workload at Steelers minicamp, and he is expected to compete with Will Howard for the No.2 position.

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However, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was not convinced by the Allar selection after watching tape.

“Is he big? Can he move? Can he throw? Yeah. But there was never a time where I was like, ‘Whoa.’,” Roethlisberger said on his ‘Footbahlin’ podcast.

“They’re going to bring him in to compete with Will Howard… let those young guys compete for the two and three jobs (behind Rodgers).

“This one, the jury’s out right now. Again, there was nothing that jumped off the page for me.

“Whether that’s good or bad, we’ll see.

“When I watch tape, or watched games, Will Howard jumped off the tape to me way more than Drew does. Third round, sixth round, it’s interesting.”

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The Steelers again delayed turning their hopes over to a younger QB by keeping the franchise in Rodgers’ hands.

It’s clear to see that Allar and Howard could be battling to be the future signal caller of the team.

For 2026, though, it’s full speed ahead with Rodgers to begin a new era, Pittsburgh’s first year with a new head coach since 2007.

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