Aaron Rodgers confirms retirement decision, explains why he returned to Steelers for one last season

A recent report shared that quarterback Aaron Rodgers returned to spend another season serving as the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterback because "he enjoyed playing football again" with the club during the 2025 campaign. 

It turns out that Rodgers may have been closer to calling time on his playing career earlier this year than some realized. 

Aaron Rodgers confirms retirement decision

Per Joe Clark of Steelers Depot, Rodgers confirmed while speaking with reporters on Wednesday that the 2026 season will be his last as an active player. 

"Yes. This is it," Rodgers said. 

The four-time NFL regular-season Most Valuable Player Award winner will turn 43 years old this coming December and recently signed only a one-year deal to return to the Steelers. Interestingly, a January report claimed that Rodgers leaked back in December of last year that the 2025 campaign would "probably" be his last. He supposedly offered that information shortly before Mike Tomlin stepped down as Pittsburgh's head coach after Tomlin held that job for 19 seasons. 

Was Aaron Rodgers ready to retire before the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy?

On Wednesday, Rodgers suggested that he was prepared to ride off into the sunset of retirement before the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy as Tomlin's replacement this past winter. McCarthy was Rodgers' coach when the two were with the Green Bay Packers from 2006 through much of the 2018 season, and they seemingly are close once again after their relationship reportedly soured over their last few campaigns together with the NFC North club. 

"I thought when he said he was stepping away, it was an emotional moment because we all love him so much and care about him," Rodgers said about Tomlin's unexpected departure. "I thought that was probably it for me in Pittsburgh. But when the decision was made to hire Mike [McCarthy], I started to open my mind back up to coming back." 

According to ESPN, Rodgers added that playing for McCarthy one last time will be a "full circle" moment. Rodgers will look to bounce back after he had a fourth-quarter fumble and a fourth-quarter interception returned for touchdowns in his most recent game, Pittsburgh's 30-6 wild-card playoff loss to the Houston Texans. 

Perhaps his teammates will use the fact that the all-time great is entering his "Last Dance" season as extra motivation to help him in the pursuit of his second career Super Bowl ring.