Sources: Aaron Rodgers and the Steelers will meet soon to discuss his potential return

Gerry Dulac, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on May 7, 2026

Published in Football

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PITTSBURGH — Aaron Rodgers is expected to meet with the Steelers in the next day or two to discuss and potentially confirm his return for the 2026 season, team sources confirmed to the Post-Gazette.

The Steelers have always been under the impression that Rodgers, 42, would come back for his 22nd NFL season despite his prolonged delay in signing a new deal.

Throughout their previous conversations with the former four-time league MVP, financial terms on a one-year contract were never an issue, according to sources.

Rodgers never cleaned out his locker at the team’s South Side practice facility, indicating it was more likely than not he was planning to return. Also, the Steelers were not aware of another team being interested in signing him.

What’s more, new coach Mike McCarthy said he has been in constant communication with his former Green Bay Packers quarterback, usually talking with him several times a week — another reason the Steelers were anticipating his return.

The Steelers were expecting Rodgers to make a decision before the start of the NFL draft last month. After that, they placed a seldom-used unrestricted free agent tender on Rodgers, ensuring they would receive a compensatory draft pick if he signed with another team before July 22.

That was a procedural move designed to protect them, not an indication the Steelers thought he would go elsewhere.

But if Rodgers didn’t agree to a new deal by the time their offseason training activities began May 18, there were signs that the team’s patience could grow thin.