The Pittsburgh Steelers have spent the majority of their offseason attempting to find a way to bring legendary quarterback Aaron Rodgers to town. After reports earlier this week indicated he planned on signing with the Steelers, he officially put pen to paper on a new deal Saturday.
After an 18-season stint with the Green Bay Packers, Rodgers was traded to the Jets ahead of the 2023 season. He ended up playing just four snaps that year, though, before he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon that caused him to miss virtually the entire campaign. He returned in 2024, but New York struggled throughout the season, winning just five games.
With a new regime coming to town, they opted to release Rodgers and move in a different direction. As Rodgers took more and more time to make a decision on his playing future, his list of suitors dwindled, to the point where the Steelers were the only squad left in the running. As a result, it was widely expected that if Rodgers was going to play in 2025, it would be with Pittsburgh.
Sure enough, that belief ended up coming true when Rodgers signed a one-year, $13.65 million contract with the Steelers on Saturday. After months of rumors linking the four-time MVP winner to Pittsburgh, he finally decided that he would return for at least one more season in the NFL.
Considering how the Steelers quarterback depth chart consisted of only Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Skylar Thompson prior to Rodgers’ arrival, it’s safe to say the team is excited to be bringing him to town. Sure enough, shortly after the deal became official, Pittsburgh shared a two-word message on social media alongside a photo of Rodgers signing his new contract.
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“Done deal,” the Steelers said in a post on X.
In his return to action last season, Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns while playing in all 17 games for the Jets. As previously noted, though, it didn’t lead to much success, as the team went from having playoff aspirations entering the season to being one of the worst teams in the league by the time the campaign came to a close.
Rodgers will find a bit more organizational stability in Pittsburgh, and the hope is that he can turn back the clock and be the missing piece that guides this deep team on a lengthy playoff run. There’s a lot of work to do before that becomes a possibility, but the vibes are high in the Steelers building now that Rodgers is officially on board.
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