by: Alex Byington 6 hours ago _AlexByington
With news of Mike Tomlin’s decision Tuesday to step away as the Steelers head coach after 19 years in Pittsburgh, speculation immediately shifted to what it might mean for Aaron Rodgers . The Steelers’ 42-year-old starting quarterback was non-committal about his future following Monday night’s season-ending loss to the Houston Texans , 30-6, in the opening round of the 2025-26 NFL Playoffs.
“No, I’m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers said Monday night. “Disappointed obviously. Such a fun year. A lot of adversity, but a lot of fun. Been a great year overall, my life in the last year. This is a really good part of that, coming here and being part of this team. It’s disappointing to be sitting here with the season over.”
Immediately following the game, it was clear Rodgers — who was playing on a one-year, $14.15 million contract — planned to once again take his time in making a decision about his future. Last year, Rodgers waited until June to formally sign with the Steelers. And while Rodgers could certainly still decide to play a 22nd NFL season, it’s not likely to be in Pittsburgh, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
“It’s hard to speak for Aaron Rodgers, he certainly does plenty of speaking for himself. But with Mike Tomlin now out with the Steelers, it’s really hard to imagine that would be good news for Aaron Rodgers’ return (to Pittsburgh),” Rapoport said Tuesday, shortly after news of Tomlin’s decision broke. “Obviously when you have a new head coach and a full reset for an organization like the Steelers have never had, it’d make sense to start over in all the places. I’d say, for me, to my knowledge, this decreases the chances that Aaron Rodgers would be back in Pittsburgh.