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Insider speculation about Aaron Rodgers' contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers further validates Mike Tomlin's decision

Originally posted on A to Z Sports | By Rob Gregson | Last updated Jun 6, 2025 5:21 PM ET

Unless you live under a rock, you know that Aaron Rodgers will be the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterback by now.

What we still don't know officially is how much Rodgers' one-year deal is going to cost the Steelers.

But league and team insiders have a pretty good idea, and if true, it will only make the move look that much better...

Rodgers' contract could be between $10-20m

Money was NEVER the issue in deal with Aaron Rodgers. It was always a one-year offer for less than $20 million.

- Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette via X-Twitter

Remember, Aaron Rodgers himself went on the Pat McAfee show and said he would play for as little as $10m on a one-year deal. While I don't think it will be that little (in NFL QB terms of course) I expect it to be somewhere in between the $10-20m range when incentives are negotiated.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network agrees...

"I actually would expect the base to be somewhere around [$10 million] with some incentives to get a little higher," Rapoport said on Good Morning Football on Friday. "It's not going to be a big-money deal. That is not what it's about. It is about finishing Rodgers' career right, for the Pittsburgh Steelers to go deeper into the playoffs."

From @GMFB: More on the #Steelers signing QB Aaron Rodgers, who said on @PatMcAfeeShow that he would play for $10M and that does sound like the kind of low number the contract will be. pic.twitter.com/fCOZNizJZ2
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 6, 2025

I'm sorry, but regardless of your opinion om Rodgers, if you sign a player of his caliber and resume, and he performs the way he did from Week 10 on last season, this will be an absolute steal for Pitsburgh, and it will make Mike Tomlin, the patriarch of this decision, look very smart.

Steelers never wavered in their belief that Aaron Rodgers eventually would sign with Pittsburgh. Steelers HC Mike Tomlin loomed large in this entire situation. Tomlin was a drawing card for Rodgers, and was happy to work within Rodgers’ timeline. He is a major reason that Rodgers will be a Steeler.

Adam Schefter, via Twitter-X

No one is expecting Rodgers to be the player who beat the Steelers in a Super Bowl as a member of the Green Bay Packers. Nor should they be expecting him to play at the level that saw him win back-to-back MVPs in the early 2020s.

But a top 10-15 QB on a salary that is likely to be 15-25% of what his peers are getting? Sign me up.