It wasn’t unexpected, but it was good to hear that the 2026 season is the final one in future first-ballot Hall of Famer Aaron Rodgers’ career.
Rodgers, who signed with the Steelers Monday for his second season in the Steel City and 22nd one in the NFL, told reporters Wednesday after Organized Team Activities that “this is it” entering 2026.
He thought last year would be his final year in the league, especially after Mike Tomlin resigned, but the hiring of Mike McCarthy as the Steelers’ new head coach rekindled a desire to play, and now Rodgers is back. But this will be it, if we are to take him at his word.
Former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum just hopes the 42-year-old quarterback can take care of himself in his final season.
Appearing on ESPN Radio’s Unsportsmanlike Thursday morning, Tannebaum described some of the challenges quarterbacks have late in their careers.
“You just hope that this year goes well. You hope he can protect himself again,” Tannenbaum said of Rodgers. “I’ve been around a lot of aging quarterbacks in my career, going back to Vinny Testaverde, Brett Favre, I worked with Dan Marino in Miami, and those great quarterbacks have always talked about it’s not their arm, it’s their legs and their feet and their quickness that goes. And for Aaron Rodgers, he’s never been a really big guy. His foot quickness is so critical.
“And if I’m a Steeler fan, that’s why I wanna make sure that we see, can he get outta harm’s way? Can he buy time in the pocket for a second and third read? That, to me, is gonna be the big question going into this year.”
That was the biggest question last season with Rodgers, and at times he answered it. Though he had a lightning quick release time, getting rid of the ball in under 2.6 seconds on average, Rodgers showed the ability to maneuver in the pocket at times.
He did suffer broken bones in his left wrist after taking a hit in the pocket, causing him to miss one game and be limited for a bit after his return, so he wasn’t able to fully protect himself physically. But he wasn’t a true sitting duck in the pocket, either.
With improvements made to the offensive line and an increased emphasis on the run game with the addition of Rico Dowdle in free agency to get back to a smashmouth style of running, there should be a bit of a load taken off Rodgers.
He’s had success in McCarthy’s scheme, and the talent around him is better. It could lead to success. Tannenbaum has a clear picture of what that should look like.
“Can we get to 10/11 wins, play for the division title and win a playoff game?” Tannenbaum said of the Steelers. “But I also think with [Will] Howard and Drew Allar, what do we have here? Some have widely reported how good next year’s quarterback draft class is, and if the four of us were running the Steelers, we need to know, not about just winning today, but how do we compete against Lamar Jackson? How do we compete against Joe Burrow?
“Those are things that are really gonna be important from a Steelers standpoint long term.”
The Steelers brought back Rodgers with an eye on competing in 2026, that much is very clear, especially with all of the offseason moves made. But at some point the Steelers will have to find a way to get answers on Will Howard and Drew Allar. Do those answers come in the preseason?
Will Pittsburgh be in a position late in the year to sit Rodgers? Time will tell. He’ll have to be able to protect himself throughout the season to get to that point.
