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Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he will retire at the end of the 2026 NFL season after signing a new one-year contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers.<\/b><\/p>\n
The 42-year-old finalised a new deal this week which will take him into a 22nd season in the NFL.<\/p>\n
When asked in a news conference if the campaign, which begins in September, will be his last, Rodgers replied: “Yes, this is it.”<\/p>\n
Rodgers won the 2011 Super Bowl with the Green Bay Packers and has been named the league’s Most Valuable Player four times.<\/p>\n
Last summer, he accepted a one-year deal with Pittsburgh worth $13.65m (\u00a310.2m)<\/a> – one of the NFL’s lowest annual salaries among starting quarterbacks.<\/p>\n But Rodgers’ new contract is reported to be worth a guaranteed $22m (\u00a316.5m),, external<\/span><\/a> and up to $25m (\u00a318.8m) in incentives.<\/p>\n Pittsburgh quarterbacks coach Tom Arth said Rodgers has a “ferocious competitive spirit” but still has “so much fun” playing the game. <\/p>\n “He plays the game like he’s still 10 years old running around in the backyard,” added Arth.<\/p>\n Rodgers began his NFL career in 2005 when he was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the draft.<\/p>\n He helped the Steelers reach last season’s play-offs, before coach Mike Tomlin chose to bring his 19-year tenure to an end.<\/a><\/p>\n Tomlin was replaced by Mike McCarthy, who was head coach for most of Rodgers’ 18-year stint with the Green Bay Packers, and they won a Super Bowl together.<\/p>\n After leaving the Packers for the New York Jets in 2023, Rodgers suffered a torn Achilles on his debut – ruling him out for the rest of the season. He was then released after a disappointing second season in New York.<\/p>\n Rodgers is not as mobile as he used to be and missed one game for Pittsburgh in 2025 because of a broken wrist.<\/p>\n But even in an inconsistent season by the Steelers, he managed to steer them to a 10-7 record and their first AFC North title since 2020, before being outclassed by the Houston Texans in the post-season.<\/p>\n With Rodgers’ future still uncertain in April, Pittsburgh added a quarterback in the NFL Draft, selecting Drew Allar<\/a> in the third round.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n