It’s finally happened! Four-time MVP quarterback Aaron Rodgers will sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers, sources told NFL Network.
Rodgers reportedly flew to Pittsburgh on Friday and will sign his contract before next week’s minicamp where he’s expected to be on the field, according to Tom Pelissero.
Contract parameters have been in place for months, though the sides needed to finalize the terms, Pelissero reported. The final terms came to be a 1-year deal worth up to $19.5M with $10M guaranteed and $13.65M base (we now have the incentives which will be below). He will also be wearing number 8.
The Steelers had been waiting on Rodgers’ decision since he visited the team facility in March. Head coach Mike Tomlin previously said there was no deadline. Rodgers had reportedly made the Steelers confident he would eventually join, but was delayed by dealing with personal matters.
The whole time the Steelers front office was fully supportive. Rodgers decided to do it this way after the issues last offseason. With the Jets last year, Rodgers showed up for every offseason activity, then went to Egypt for a couple of days during camp. While he was fined and the Jets organization was aware/okay with the situation, the NFL fans felt a bit differently about it.
The 10-time Pro Bowler will immediately become Steelers starting quarterback one would assume. The other options in the room are Mason Rudolph, Skylar Thompson, and sixth-round rookie Will Howard.
Rodgers’ first opponent as a member of the Steelers will be his former team, the New York Jets in Week 1. The Jets will be quarterbacked by former Steeler Justin Fields, making it the NFL’s first ever season-opening game between starting quarterbacks who swapped teams they started for the previous season, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini.
Rodgers also gets another opportunity for revenge this season. he will have another revenge matchup versus the Green Bay Packers in Week 8.
Rodgers spent two disappointing years with the Jets before they released him this offseason. He tore his Achilles four snaps into his 2023 season debut with the team, and then returned in 2024 but he could only muster a 5-12 record with 28 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. Rodgers said the organization made him fly from California to New York only to inform him of his release “20 seconds in” to the conversation. If we know anything about Aaron Rodgers, you can believe there is a chip on his shoulder from that.
The 41-year-olds resume is beyond hall of fame worthy. He has 62,952 yards, for 503 touchdowns, and 116 interceptions across his career. Rodgers won his only championship against the Steelers, a 31-25 Packers victory in Super Bowl XLV in which he threw for three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Here are the incentives for Rodgers:
Aaron Rodgers Steelers Contract (according to Spotrac):
– One year, $13.65M base
– $10M signing bonus
– $14.15M cap hit
– $5.85M Incentive Package
- Playoff Berth: $500k
- Wild Card Win: $600k
- Divisional Win: $750k
- Conf. Champ: $1M
- Super Bowl Win: $1.5M
- League MVP: $1.5M
Jaden Chandler-Parnell, or “JC” is a Sports & Sports Betting Analyst for Stare Down Sports. You can Follow him on X @Jaden95Chandler and on YouTube
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