Aaron Rodgers is running it back with the Pittsburgh Steelers
Aaron Rodgers agrees to a 1-year deal to return to the Pittsburgh Steelers, AP sources sayBy WILL GRAVESAP Sports WriterThe Associated PressPITTSBURGH
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers is running it back with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Two people with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press that the four-time NFL MVP agreed to a one-year deal to return to Pittsburgh on Saturday, ending a protracted decision-making process. The people spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced.
The 42-year-old Rodgers guided Pittsburgh to an AFC North title last year, throwing for 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He seemed to embrace playing for a team whose football roots run deep, much as he did in Green Bay earlier in his career, and now he’ll be a Steeler for his 22nd and perhaps final season.
Rodgers reunites with former Packers coach Mike McCarthy, hired to lead the Steelers in January after Mike Tomlin stepped down following 19 seasons.
Rodgers and McCarthy spent 13 years together in Green Bay, where Rodgers blossomed into one of the game’s biggest stars after becoming the starting quarterback in 2008. Green Bay won its fourth Super Bowl and Rodgers earned two of his four MVPs with McCarthy calling the plays.
The arrangement will be much the same with the Steelers, though both player and coach are in different phases of their respective careers. This figures to be Rodgers’ last ride, and the 64-year-old McCarthy is almost certainly ending his coaching journey a few miles from the Greenfield neighborhood where he grew up.
The Steelers made it clear they would welcome Rodgers back, though a couple of artificial deadlines — first the start of free agency in March, then the NFL draft last month in Pittsburgh — came and went with Rodgers unsigned.
The club made the somewhat unusual decision to place an unrestricted free agent tender on Rodgers, a paperwork move that gave the Steelers a bit of protection should Rodgers have opted to sign with another team before training camp opened in late July.
It’s uncertain if a market for Rodgers existed, not that it matters. A year ago, he waited until early June to join the Steelers, then spent the next seven-plus months embracing the experience, earning raves from his teammates for his buy-in and his leadership.
Rodgers joins a quarterback room that expanded while he made up his mind. The Steelers selected Penn State’s Drew Allar in the third round of the draft. He joins veteran Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, a sixth-round choice in 2025.
Howard and Allar figure to be longer-term projects, and Rodgers’ presence will give them time to develop while also gleaning whatever lessons they can from a quarterback who spent three seasons backing up Hall of Famer Brett Favre in Green Bay before becoming the starter.
Pittsburgh also added receivers Michael Pittman Jr. and Germie Bernard in the offseason. The trade for Pittman and the drafting of Bernard could provide Rodgers with more big-play options after teams loaded up to stop DK Metcalf last year.
While it seemed the question surrounding Rodgers wasn’t if he would re-sign, but when, it’s still uncertain when he might actually take the field with his teammates. Pittsburgh begins organized team activities on May 18.
Though OTAs are typically voluntary in name only in most places — particularly with a first-year coach — Rodgers’ familiarity with McCarthy’s offense and the opportunity for Pittsburgh to use OTAs as a chance to give Allar and Howard plenty of reps mean Rodgers could stay home in Malibu, California, until mandatory minicamp from June 2-4.
Either way, when the team reports for training camp at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe in late July, Rodgers will run out with the starters with the goal of leading the Steelers back to the playoffs while eyeing the franchise’s first postseason victory in a decade.
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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.
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