Aaron Rodgers Gets Deadline from Steelers Owner to Make Decision on Returning or Retirement
Aaron Rodgers Gets Deadline from Steelers Owner to Make Decision on Returning or Retirement
Skyler CarusoWed, April 1, 2026 at 9:06 PM UTC
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Aaron Rodgers.Credit: Joe Sargent/Getty -
Steelers owner Art Rooney II is giving Aaron Rodgers just a few more weeks to decide on his NFL future
The 42-year-old quarterback is weighing returning for a 22nd season or retirement
If Rodgers returns to the Steelers, it will be with a new head coach after the team fired Mike Tomlin
The countdown is on.
Aaron Rodgers has yet to make a decision about a potential return to the NFL for a 22nd season after his one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers ended in March, and now the team's owner is suggesting a deadline for the 42-year-old quarterback to make up his mind.
Art Rooney II, whose been at the Steelers' helm since 2003, told ESPN at the Annual League Meeting that he hasn't been in contact with the Super Bowl winner himself, but he predicts a verdict is approaching.
Aaron Rodgers #8 of the Pittsburgh Steelers.Credit: Joe Sargent/Getty
"I have not talked to [Aaron]. Coach [Mike McCarthy] has been in contact with him pretty regularly," the Steelers' owner said of Rodgers on Tuesday, March 31. "I think a decision is coming soon."
Rooney then shared a timeline on when he'd "expect" a decision from Rodgers.
"I would say by the draft I would expect an answer," he told ESPN, referencing the 2026 NFL Draft that begins on April 23.
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Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers.Credit: Jack Thomas/Getty
McCarthy, the Steelers' new head coach, also talked about getting to reunite with Rodgers this offseason, saying that his former quarterback is in "a very positive space" and that they have been speaking regularly this offseason. McCarthy, who replaced longtime Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin, was Rodgers' head coach when he played for the Green Bay Packers.
In February, Steelers general manager Omar Khan predicted the four-time NFL MVP — who signed a one-year, $13.65 million contract last June — would have his decision made by mid-March.
Aaron Rodgers of the Pittsburgh Steelers in action.Credit: Steven King/Icon Sportswire via Getty
"I think the circumstances are a little different, but just conversations we've had, I don't think either side wants to have this drag on like it did last year," Khan said on Feb. 24 at the 2026 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis, according to NFL.com.
He added, "The door's open to have Aaron back. I've had conversations with him."
Meanwhile, Rodgers said on the The Pat McAfee Show in early March that he's been staying in shape. However, his reasoning for keeping fit didn't strictly have to do with football.
"I wanna look good," Rodgers said, before confessing, "I want my wife to wanna f--- me all the time!"
on People
Source: “AOL Sports”
