05/18/26 03:12:00
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05/18 15:10 CDT Aaron Rodgers hits the practice field after signing 1-year deal
to stay with the Steelers
Aaron Rodgers hits the practice field after signing 1-year deal to stay with
the Steelers
PITTSBURGH (AP) --- Aaron Rodgers has spent two-plus decades keeping everyone
off balance.
From opponents to teammates to reporters and everyone in between.
The start of his 22nd season was no different.
The 42-year-old four-time NFL MVP made a surprise appearance on the Pittsburgh
Steelers practice field Monday for the start of voluntary organized team
activities, jogging out in a white No. 8 jersey shortly after finalizing a
1-year deal to return to the club he guided to an AFC North championship last
winter.
Linebacker Payton Wilson admitted he was a little "shocked" when he ran into
Rodgers outside the team's facility. Wilson called it "awesome" to have Rodgers
back while only somewhat jokingly admitting his presence will make it "a lot
harder" on the defense during OTA drills designed to be more of a refresher
than a true test.
Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., acquired in an offseason trade with
Indianapolis, worked out with Rodgers once while Rodgers was still weighing his
options. Pittman hoped Rodgers would run it back one more time, but knew better
than to get ahead of himself.
"I had a good feeling about it, but you never know," Pittman said. "I mean,
Aaron's gonna do what Aaron wants to do, right?"
Asked if his throwing session with the future Hall of Famer tipped the scales
for Rodgers to come back, Pittman laughed.
"I'd like to say yes, but probably not," he said, later adding, "Hopefully it
had some little effect on him."
Who knows? Rodgers remains, as always, a bit of an enigma who keeps his cards
very close to the vest.
"He's a mysterious guy," outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said.
Rodgers said near the end of last season he would decide in "due course" while
cagily not hinting at any sort of deadline. The Steelers expressed optimism
that he would reach a decision before the start of free agency, then kept
moving the goalposts back as the weeks came and went without Rodgers offering
any firm answer one way or the other.
The lines of communication remained open during the process, with first-year
Steelers coach Mike McCarthy --- who spent more than a decade alongside Rodgers
in Green Bay, winning a Super Bowl in the process --- making it clear to
Rodgers that he was open to a reunion in Pittsburgh.
Rodgers returned to Western Pennsylvania recently and was spotted grabbing some
ice cream with several Steelers at a popular shop in the northern suburbs last
Friday. Months of "will he or won't he" speculation on social media, sports
talk radio, and just about everywhere else finally ended with the news on
Saturday evening that caught most of the guys he shares the locker room with
off guard.
Offensive tackle Troy Fautanu found out on Instagram. Pittman saw it while
scanning X.
"He never told me anything," Pittman said with a laugh.
There's plenty of time to catch up now anyway. Rodgers return means the
Steelers have effectively kicked the can down the road on the search for their
next franchise quarterback for at least another season.
Having Rodgers in the fold means rookie Drew Allar and second-year quarterback
Will Howard will get to spend the year learning from one of the greats who will
enter the Hall of Fame five years after he retires, whenever that may be.
It won't be in 2026, as Rodgers opted to give it another chance after throwing
for 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions during his first season in
Pittsburgh. He leaned into playing for a team whose football roots run deep,
much as he did in Green Bay, and now he'll be back to try and help the Steelers
end a playoff victory drought that is nearing a decade old.
Rather than wait until mandatory minicamp --- as he did a year ago --- Rodgers'
early arrival indicates a sense of urgency for a franchise where the standard
remains the same even as it transitions from Mike Tomlin to McCarthy.
And while it was just football in shorts in the middle of May, Pittman saw
enough to know immediately that Rodgers is all-in and remains elite, even as he
nears his mid-40s.
"Even the first day, he made a couple of great throws," Pittman said. "And I
was like, 'Wow, I'm really playing with Aaron."
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