PITTSBURGH – Win-or-go-home regular season finale vs. Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, Steelers defender Aaron Rodgers not focused on my future after week 18.
While he said Wednesday he wasn't “thinking” about returning to Pittsburgh next season after his one-year deal expires, Rodgers did acknowledge the reality he'll have to face when the season comes to an end.
“I'm thinking about this week, but obviously I'm 42 years old and have a one-year contract,” he said. “So you know what the situation is. When the season ends, I will become a free agent. So this will give me a lot of options if I still want to play. I mean, there aren't many options, but I think there will be maybe one or two options if I decide I still want to play.”
“I loved the experience and everyone in Pittsburgh was fantastic to me on and off the field. And it's really what I hoped for, it was even better than I hoped for.”
After signing a one-year, $13.65 million contract with Pittsburgh in June, Rodgers told “The Pat McAfee Show” that he was “pretty sure” the 2025 season would be his last.
“Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is it,” Rogers said in June. “That's why we just signed a one-year contract. “The Steelers didn't have to spend extra years on it or anything like that, so it was really about ending my career with a lot of love and fun and peace.”
“I played 20 damn years. It's been a long journey. “I loved it, and there’s no better place to end it than with one of the cornerstone franchises of the NFL with Mike Tomlin and a great group of leaders and great guys in town who expect you to win.”
Six months after that interview, Rodgers praised Tomlin and expressed gratitude for the experience he had in Pittsburgh.
“You're always thinking about what ifs and alternate timelines in your life,” Rogers said. “But if I hadn’t gone down that path, I would never have met so many guys in the dressing room that I now call close friends, and would not have had the experiences and memories on the field, and would never have been able to be in the same room with Tom Arth and Bake again. [Matt Baker] and have the opportunity to play for Arthur Smith and Mike Tomlin. And it seems to me that without this chapter there would not be a small hole in my life. So I'm grateful for this time.”
The quarterback said he would talk to his wife when he decides his next steps, but left his process vague. Rodgers, who recently said he felt like “Benjamin Button”, added that he hoped his decision could be down to a desire to keep playing rather than the physical ability to stay on the field.
“I hope I can get through this sprain and feel good physically, so that’s out of the question,” he said.
Since arriving in Pittsburgh, Rodgers has helped the Steelers to a 9–7 record and kept them in contention for the AFC North title. He threw for 3,028 yards, 23 touchdowns and seven interceptions and completed 65.6 percent of his attempts.
“Sometimes, yeah, definitely,” Rodgers said when asked if he was playing the kind of ball he wanted to play this season. “Any time you commit a crime in the first year, there are always some growing pains within the crime. It always seems like you feel like if you had one more year, what could you do.
“…We did everything we could in our conversations, in our off-site meetings and in our on-site meetings. But obviously the more years you spend in the system with the same guys, the more continuity you have, the better you feel you can play.”
The Steelers found themselves in a do-or-die situation in part against Baltimore because of Rodgers' subpar play at wide receiver. DK Metcalf against Cleveland in Week 17. Rodgers completed just 53.8% of his attempts and threw for 168 yards. Rodgers completed 55% or fewer of his attempts three other times this season and improved each time.
“I haven’t had too many stinkers over the years,” Rogers said. “So every week it’s the same mindset, the same approach. Just expect greatness. And when that doesn't happen, you don't change the plan. You just keep going and trust the process.”
