What’s Next: What Aaron Rodgers Must Do To Make Last Season More Than A Goodbye Tour

Aaron Rodgers returned to Pittsburgh last week to help prepare the Steelers for another run at an AFC North title. As Rodgers participated in the team’s offseason program, what awaited him was an eager third-round rookie excited to learn from the four-time MVP — and potentially to start a relationship that could benefit the Steelers for years to come. Just one day before the news broke that Rodgers would be re-signing with the Steelers for the 2026 season, Drew Allar couldn’t hide his excitement when he spoke about the possibility of playing with the all-time great when I spoke with him at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere event. “He has the purest throwing motion in the history of the NFL — how effortless it is and how pure it comes out of his hand,” Allar told me at the NFLPA Rookie Premiere last week. “I’ve never seen him throw a wobbly ball. It’s always crisp. It’s the same motion every time. And he’s blessed to be able to throw from so many different platforms. “I saw a clip from when he was in Green Bay, and it was like a scramble drill. He’s getting tackled in the pocket, and from his knee he threw from the right hash to the left pylon like a 50-yard bomb on a post throw. Stuff like that, you’re like, ‘I want to be like that guy.’” Well, as Allar got a chance to be excited about the news of Rodgers re-signing with the team on May 18, he found out two days later that he won’t be teammates with the legendary quarterback for long. Rodgers, 42, announced that the 2026 season would be his last this past Wednesday, marking the end of one of the greatest careers in the history of the sport. Rodgers has already cemented his status as a Hall of Fame-worthy quarterback and will likely be elected on the first ballot. He’s No. 1 in the NFL all-time in career passer rating (102.2), No. 4 in passing touchdowns (527), No. 5 all-time in passing yards (66,274) and sixth in quarterback wins (174). His four MVPs are tied for the second-most in NFL history, and Rodgers also has a Lombardi trophy and Super Bowl MVP on his mantle. And it’s clear what Rodgers and the Steelers are looking to accomplish on the field in 2026. Pittsburgh went 10-7 last season, winning the AFC North before bowing out (again) in the first round of the playoffs with a disappointing home loss to the Houston Texans. While it was Rodgers’ first playoff loss with the Steelers, it marked the third straight season they had lost in the first round of the playoffs. So, it’s clear what Rodgers and the Steelers are hoping to achieve in 2026. However, former quarterback Matt Hasselbeck thinks there’s something larger at stake than wins and losses for Rodgers this season. “Winning the division again would be a success, and I would even go as far as to say somewhat expected,” Hasselbeck told me. “But I think bigger than that, I think about legacy and foundational pieces. Aaron Rodgers will be done after this year as a player, so the hope would be that he would have this lasting impact on the organization, the way Peyton Manning had on the Indianapolis Colts or Brett Favre had on the Packers. “That guys, for years and years to come, will understand this is the standard — this is how we practice, this is how we play and this is how we compete — this is how we push the envelope on what’s been done before. All the good that Aaron Rodgers can impart on them that’s bigger than wins and losses can shine through.” This isn’t the first time Rodgers has been asked to be a mentor. Jordan Love backed up Rodgers in his final three seasons with the Packers, with Green Bay using a first-round pick on the Utah State product in 2020. The selection of Love suggested that Rodgers didn’t have a great influence on Green Bay’s decision-making. But this offseason, Rodgers’ fingerprints appear all over Pittsburgh’s moves. Following the departure of longtime head coach Mike Tomlin, Rodgers encouraged Steelers general manager Omar Khan to consider Mike McCarthy for the job and he has positive connections with several members of Pittsburgh’s new coaching staff from his time in Green Bay. To better protect Rodgers, the Steelers upgraded the offensive line with first-round selection offensive tackle Max Iheanachor and third-round pick guard Gennings Dunker. They also added a slot receiver in second-rounder Germie Bernard, an important piece of the West Coast offense, after trading for reliable possession receiver Michael Pittman Jr. from the Indianapolis Colts. On top of that, the Steelers signed a workhorse running back in Rico Dowdle in free agency. But the Steelers will go as Rodgers goes, and some around the league question whether the 42-year-old quarterback has another playoff season in him. A longtime scout I spoke with about Rodgers said his skills have significantly diminished, and the Steelers would have been better off going with a developmental prospect. The Steelers drafted Will Howard in the sixth round last year and Allar this year. “It prolongs finding out if the two young QBs can play,” the longtime NFL scout told me. “If they have a .500 or better record, they will not be able to pick a great quarterback because their first-round draft pick will be too high. They are mortgaging the future again instead of biting the bullet. Rodgers can’t create or extend plays now, and his yards per pass are short. He throws quick and short passes. “Quick and short passes equal aging QB.” However, another longtime NFL scout I spoke with believes Rodgers still has some gas left in the tank. That scout evaluated Rodgers coming out of college over 20 years ago, rating him a mid-first round pick. “The stiffness will be apparent, so you won’t be as evasive,” the scout told me. “But as you saw with Philip Rivers, he can and will think his way down the field.” As we wonder how much Rodgers has left in the tank, McCarthy must figure out how to rekindle the magic created during the duo’s time in Green Bay that led to two MVP seasons and a Super Bowl victory. It’s been eight years since McCarthy and Rodgers were together, and things didn’t end well in Green Bay. The Packers went 11-16-1 over McCarthy’s final two years before firing him late in the 2018 season. The Steelers, meanwhile, haven’t won a playoff game since 2016 and haven’t had a long-term answer at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season, creating even more urgency for success this season. Hasselbeck, who played for McCarthy in Green Bay, told me the familiarity with the coaching staff and the continuity with McCarthy’s offense should pay big dividends for Rodgers. But Hasselbeck also recognized that how Rodgers adjusts his play style might be his biggest challenge this season, more so than bridging the gap for the future. “His teammates love him,” Hasselbeck told me when I asked him about Rodgers’ return. “He’d have the guys over every week on a weekday night. He’s doing all the leadership stuff that other quarterbacks would be getting huge pats on the back for, but he’s doing it quietly. So, I think the players just really respect him. “But the challenge is going to be, McCarthy has been other places and Aaron’s been other places since [their reunion this season], and they’ve just got to come together and have an honest conversation about, ‘Hey man, this is Year 22 in the NFL for you. You might feel that you are as mobile and agile as you once were. But you’re not. So how do we get you to play a little more like Tom Brady played at the end of his career, and a little bit less like you played at the beginning of your career.’”