Don’t count Aaron Rodgers out. Days ago, it was reported that the 4X MVP signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers after previously stating the 2025 season would likely be his last. After making an appearance on the Steelers’ practice field on Monday, May 18, several of his teammates spoke about his return, saying they were kept in the dark about his offseason moves.
Steelers Players Said They Were Left In The Dark About Aaron Rodgers And His 2026 Plans
According to several reports, including ESPN and Steelers PR, Rodgers reached a one-year deal with the team worth up to $25 million just days ago.
The signing comes after the Pittsburgh-based team placed a UFA tender on the athlete, giving the organization the chance to receive a compensatory draft pick if he signed elsewhere.
At practice, Steelers receiver Michael Pittman Jr. opened up about Rodgers’ return, saying, “He never told me anything. I learned from Twitter before he told me.”
Pittman Jr., a USC alum, said he was hopeful the Super Bowl champion would return before announcing his comeback on his own terms. “Aaron is going to do what Aaron wants to do, right?”
Other Steelers Players React To Aaron Rodgers Signing On The Dotted Line For Another Year In The League
In addition to Pittman Jr., Steelers offensive lineman Troy Fautanu said he, too, learned about the athlete’s return via social media.
“I opened the app and saw Pat McAfee post it, and I said, ‘Here we go,'” he said, revealing that most of the team learned of the news around the same time.
A Steelers defensive player shared a similar sentiment, saying the superstar athlete has a “mysterious” vibe.
“Shoot, that’s just who he is,” Alex Highsmith said. “He’s mysterious, but he’s one heck of a teammate. It’s just who he is. He is a great dude.”
Aaron Rodgers Teased 2025 Would Be His Last Season
According to Steelers PR, Rodgers started in 16 of 17 games in 2025, missing one due to injury. The 21-year veteran completed 327 of 498 passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
Over his decades-long career, Rodgers has appeared in over 260 games, starting in 257 of them. He’s completed 5,696 of 8,743 passes for 66,274 yards and 527 touchdowns.
In June 2025, Rodgers spoke with Pat McAfee before the start of the season, saying he believed it was his last.
“That’s why we just did a one-year deal. Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on that or anything, so this was really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I’ve had,” he said.
He went on to say that he’s enjoyed his “20 fricking years” in the league, adding that finishing his career with the Steelers was the best place for him.
Steelers Dealt With Change After The 2025 Season
Another reason Rodgers’ return to the Steelers might’ve surprised his teammates was because of his emotional response to former head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down.
According to a previous report from The Blast, sources said that Tomlin’s announcement to the team “felt like a funeral,” and that Rodgers had an emotional reaction, saying “no” repeatedly.
In the past, Rodgers praised Tomlin as a coach and said his position with the organization played a role in his signing with the team.
“Mike T. has had more success than damn near anybody in the league for the last 19, 20 years,” Rodgers said. “And more than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don’t think about making a change, but there’s a lot of pressure that comes from the outside and obviously that sways decisions from time to time. But it’s not how I would do things and not how the league used to be.”
Rodgers Broke His Silence On Teammates’ Fight With Fan
Before that, Rodgers broke his silence on his teammate, DK Metcalf, being suspended for two games after appearing to strike a heckling fan.
While it’s unclear what the fan said, numerous reports claimed that the man, identified as Ryan Kennedy, repeatedly called Metcalf by his government name.
“I think there’s a mindset that you pay for a ticket, you say whatever the heck you want. I think there should be some code of conduct,” Rodgers said. “Obviously, [what Kennedy did] was intentional, and I think there was some celebration afterwards on his part.”
While Rodgers condemned Metcalf’s alleged actions, the quarterback also said that his teammate had his full “support.”
“The truth is that that would never happen face to face. You know, even some of the people that hate me the most in the cities that I’ve played against over the years, especially in the NFC North, it’s always pretty cordial when you see some of those people out and about,” he said.