Aaron Rodgers Appears To Make Decision On Retirement

Originally posted on The Spun | By Tzvi Machlin | Last updated Feb 13, 2026 5:27 PM ET

The last we heard of Aaron Rodgers he was moping about the Pittsburgh Steelers parting ways with longtime head coach Mike Tomlin after their one-and-done playoff run. But with his former head coach Mike McCarthy now on board, things appear to be changing for him.

Appearing on SportsCenter, ESPN Steelers insider Brooke Pryor said that it is now considered "more likely than not" that Rodgers returns to the Steelers for another year rather than retire at the age of 42. However, she conceded that Rodgers' return is not something that she is ready to definitely state and that we won't hear anything from Rodgers in the near future regardless.

"With Mike McCarthy becoming the head coach, I came out of Super Bowl week... I have the sense that he is more likely to come back than not. But I would write it in pencil or at least erasable pen because you are not going to hear it from Aaron Rodgers (for a long time)..." Pryor said.

Back in Bristol and talking what else but Steelers QBs and Mike McCarthy — plus what Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb told me Pittsburgh can expect from McCarthy’s leadership ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/1i41rYGn0n
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) February 13, 2026

Rodgers or... what?

Right now the Steelers don't exactly have a ton of options as far as quarterbacks go for the 2026 season. There aren't any obvious, viable options for them in the NFL Draft to start as a rookie, and the free agent market isn't expected to have any experienced starters either. So unless they are ready to make a trade, they're pretty much stuck with some combination of Mason Rudolph and Will Howard if Aaron Rodgers doesn't come back.

That said, even if Rodgers does come back, how much better can we expect the Steelers to be in 2025?

Nov 9, 2025; Inglewood, California, USA; Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin and quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) walk off the field after the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn ImagesJayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Tomlin squeeze seemingly every drop of juice out of Rodgers in 2025 in ways that the Jets and Packers couldn't. Rodgers had his best season since his back-to-back MVP campaigns, looking 10-15 years younger at times.

And yet it still wasn't enough to win more than 10 games or avoid another one-and-done in the playoffs.

Simply put, the Steelers need to avoid putting all of their eggs in one basket, or Mike McCarthy's tenure in Pittsburgh could be the shortest we've seen by a coach in generations.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: