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Four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers signed a one-year deal with the Steelers last offseason. At 42, he does not rule out a return in 2026, but the team is waiting to see what happens next.
The new NFL championship year started last week and the draft will take place next month. As the Steelers continue their offseason, at least one former star player has made it clear that Rodgers’ time in Pittsburgh should be over.
Pro Football Hall of Famer Rod Woodson urged his former team to simply move on from Rodgers. “Is he going to play? Look, I’m a little tired of it,” Woodson said on “The Rich Eisen Show.”
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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) passes in the first half of an NFL football game against the Cleveland Browns in Pittsburgh on October 12, 2025. (Matt Freed/AP Photo)
“Look, if he wants to play, say he’s going to play, he’ll come back. And the team shouldn’t wait for Aaron Rodgers. They need to move forward.”
Even though Woodson’s frustration seems to be growing, the Steelers still seem willing to wait. Rodgers recently said he wasn’t aware of any “deadline” but had maintained his offseason workout routine.
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Rodgers started 16 games last season, throwing 24 touchdowns. He helped the Steelers end a five-season AFC North division title drought. But Pittsburgh ultimately couldn’t end its playoff streak, losing to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round.
Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Rod Woodson (26) looks on before a preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Three Rivers Stadium on August 24, 1995, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (George Gojkovitch/Getty Images)
Rodgers spent the first 18 seasons of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. He spent two years with the New York Jets before signing with the Steelers.
“What is it about these former Green Bay Packers quarterbacks that we need to talk about all the time?” » added Woodson. “Because Brett Favre was like that for years. Remember how we had to talk about Brett Favre, talk about Brett Favre.”
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers listens to a question during a press conference after an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, December 15, 2025. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Former Ohio State star Will Howard and NFL veteran Mason Rudolph are expected to return to the Steelers in 2026. Concerns about the Steelers’ quarterback room continue to grow, with former star Rod Woodson saying the team missed a chance to get a long-term answer in last year’s draft.
“They should have taken Jaxson Dart (in the 2025 NFL draft),” Woodson said. “He fell to them. It was the best opportunity for them to take this quarterback who has that swag, who kind of fits the Steeler mold.”
The Steelers officially introduced Mike McCarthy in January, ushering in a new era. McCarthy replaces Mike Tomlin, who resigned after 19 seasons as Steelers head coach.
McCarthy coached Rodgers in Green Bay. The Steelers’ new coach said he has been in contact with his former quarterback this offseason, adding earlier this year that he considered Rodgers a “great asset” to the team and suggested the franchise would welcome his return.
