Aaron Rodgers Will Join Pittsburgh Steelers Next Week In A Match That Will Test Egos, Expertise Of NFL People

It took a while, but Aaron Rodgers has found his third NFL team, and it's the Pittsburgh Steelers, the team that has been the most obvious and perhaps only spot for the four-time MVP winner for quite some time. 

Rogers isn't signed yet. But he has informed the team he'll sign by next week and participate in the club's June 10-12 mandatory mincamp, a source confirmed.

NFL Media was first with the report.

So, yes, cue Abba… 

Money Didn't Hold Up Rodgers Deal

Money, money, money.

It's not about that.

The interesting thing (perhaps) is this holdup in Rodgers joining the team had very little to do with a team valued at $5.3 billion by Forbes last August and a player who has made an estimated $376,098,706 in his career. 

The parameters of a deal were actually covered weeks ago, so the reason this took so long is Rodgers was mulling his future – including after visiting the team for six hours on March 21.

Rodgers is expected to sign a contract that will pay between $10 million and $20 million per season.

This union is about fit. 

Rodgers, released by the New York Jets on March 12, took his time committing to the Steelers because he said he had other commitments and issues in his personal life – much of it having to do with friends and family – that needed his attention.

He had to attend to those rather than sign with a club and then leave the club to handle his private affairs. So he kept the Steelers waiting, almost understandably, rather than commit and then be absent.

Steelers and Rodgers A Fit

Rodgers mulled the possibility of playing for the Giants. Nope, not close enough to being a playoff team.

Rodgers valued the idea of joining the Vikings, but they didn't see an obvious fit with Rodgers, and are committed to J.J. McCarthy.

Rodgers also seriously weighed retirement.

So why are these two a match now? Rodgers, 42 in December, is obviously nearing the end of his career. And he wants to win now to go out as close to the top as he can.

The Steelers are in a situation where they cannot rely on a young, developmental quarterback. Their roster lined with veterans such as edge rusher T.J. Watt, safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, defensive tackle Cam Heyward, and others, has 11 players who are at least 30 years old.

Head coach Mike Tomlin is about to start his 19th year with the team and hasn't won a playoff game since 2016.

"I think we’re in a state of urgency," Heyward said on the Rich Eisen show weeks ago. "We have a lot of guys, like myself, that are in the latter stages of their career, and we all want to win. It’s not just enough to win a playoff game, which we haven’t won in a couple years, and there’s a bad taste in our mouth because of that."

Rodgers Stats Stood Up In 2024? 

Rodgers, meanwhile, ended last season on a terrible Jets team that sullied everyone it touched. So that narrative is Rodgers was terrible last season with the Jets.

And that's true if you're a quarterback Win-Loss stat believer. The Jets were horrible in posting a 5-12 season that resulted in coach Robert Saleh getting fired in October, then general manager Joe Douglas getting fired in November, and a whole new brain trust being hired.But as wins and losses are cold, hard facts, let me offer some other cold, hard facts: 

Rodgers threw 28 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 2025. No, he didn't maximize. There were missed throws and miscommunications and missed red zone opportunities.

But …

Josh Allen threw 28 TDs and 6 interceptions.

Patrick Mahomes threw 26 TDs and 11 interceptions.

Jayden Daniels threw 25 TDs and 9 interceptions.

Matthew Stafford threw 20 TDs and 8 interceptions.

Brock Purdy threw 20 TDs and 12 interceptions.

Jalen Hurts threw 18 TDs and 5 interceptions.

Aaron Rodgers wants to know the vax status of all of his critics before they talk about him. (Photo by Sarah Stier/Getty Images)

Rodgers Narrative Tied To Jets

So was Rodgers terrible as the dominant narrative at season's end suggested? Or where the Jets terrible despite the quarterback delivering a representative season?

It's a fair question.

At least three NFL teams – the Giants, Vikings and Steelers –  asked themselves this question this offseason because the Jets informed the entire league Rodgers would be released.

And at least two teams came up with the answer I'm giving you here, which is that Rodgers was good enough to try and sign.

So now the Steelers will find out if winning the Rodgers derby leads to, you know, actually winning in 2025.