‘This is it’ – Aaron Rodgers sets out official NFL retirement timeline days after Steelers return

Aaron Rodgers has confirmed that 2026 will be his final year in the NFL.

The four-time MVP will return to the Pittsburgh Steelers for one last ride, having signed a new one-year contract that takes him into a 22nd season.

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But once the year is done, he’ll be ready for retirement.

Aaron Rodgers confirms NFL retirement timeline

On Wednesday, the 42-year-old spoke with reporters for the first time since returning to Pittsburgh, and was asked if 2026 would be his last year.

“Yes, this is it,” Rodgers immediately answered.

He added that he thought his time with the Steelers was over when head coach Mike Tomlin resigned in January.

“I thought that was probably it for me in Pittsburgh,” he said, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor.

“But when the decision was made to hire Mike (McCarthy), I started opening my mind back up to coming back.”

With a retirement timeline set out, the veteran quarterback will go in search of playoff glory this season.

His return to Pittsburgh has reunited him with Coach McCarthy, who he worked closely with for 12 years on the Green Bay Packers.

Together, the pair won Super Bowl XLV in February 2011.

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Green Bay beat the Steelers 31-25 at AT&T Stadium, and Rodgers was named the game’s MVP that year.

Rodgers believes it’s a ‘full circle’ moment to be able to play for McCarthy again as his legendary career comes to a close.

He won two of his four MVP awards playing under McCarthy in Green Bay, alongside that Super Bowl triumph.

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The legendary quarterback is a first-ballot Hall of Famer, regardless of what unfolds in his final season.

Rodgers, who was drafted by the Packers with the 24th overall pick in 2005, boasts a career that few will ever match.

He led the NFL in passer rating across four separate seasons (2011, 2012, 2020, 2021), and also threw the most touchdowns in 2016 and 2020.

The veteran has been named to 10 Pro Bowls, and holds the league records for career passer rating, career TD to INT ratio, lowest career interception percentage and the most consecutive pass attempts without an interception.

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Rodgers has racked up an incredible 66,274 passing yards across his 21-year career to date, putting him fifth on the all-time list.

Only Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Payton Manning and Brett Favre have passed for more yards.

Rodgers has been a fixture in the NFL for two decades, but 2026 will be the final time fans will see him take the field before he hangs up his cleats for good.

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