(WFRV) – Aaron Rodgers, the renowned four-time NFL MVP and Super Bowl XLV MVP, is reportedly set to join the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year contract, according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and The Associated Press.
Rapoport said Rodgers will arrive in Pittsburgh to sign with the team ahead of mandatory minicamps next week.
After the 2022-23 NFL season, Rodgers was traded to New York, where the former Green Bay star faced a rocky stint with the Jets. His time with the team began with an unfortunate Achilles tendon tear just four plays into the 2023 season, yet he managed to return for the 2024-25 season.
In 2024, the former Packers quarterback and his new team struggled to meet high expectations, as off-the-field drama surrounded the team.
During the middle of the season, Rodgers was reunited with Davante Adams, his former teammate and favored receiver, who now plays for the Los Angeles Rams. Unfortunately, the Jets were unable to turn their fortunes around and decided to fire head coach Robert Saleh.
Following the 2024-25 season, rumors of retirement and trades arose. But, the Jets cut ties with Rodgers, per ESPN Senior NFL Insider Adam Schefter, as the new league year began at 3 p.m. on March 12 (designated as a post-June 1 cut to save salary cap hit).
Now, Rodgers walks into the Steel City with the league’s longest tenured coach, Mike Tomlin. Rodgers will be a part of a positional room with recent draftee Will Howard, 2022 draft pick Skylar Thompson, and veteran QB Mason Rudolph.
The Steelers and the 41-year-old Rodgers had been circling each other for months. Rodgers even visited the team’s facility in late March, driving in undercover in a nondescript sedan wearing a hat and sunglasses.
While there were plenty of nice words from both sides in the aftermath, Rodgers didn’t rush to put pen to paper, telling “The Pat McAfee Show” in April that his attention was focused on helping people in his inner circle who were “battling some difficult stuff” and that he didn’t want to decide until he knew he could fully commit.
The union brings Rodgers and Tomlin, the longest-tenured head coach in major professional North American sports, together after years of the football equivalent of flirting.
They’ve long held each other in high esteem and have enjoyed a handful of memorable on-field interactions that went viral. Last fall, they playfully nodded at each other as a sign of respect after Tomlin was forced to burn a timeout when Rodgers tried a quick snap that would have ended with the Steelers being penalized for having too many men on the field.
Rodgers and the Steelers are set to host the Packers on October 26. Rodgers will also return to face his other former team, the Jets, in Week One of the NFL season.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
