The last few offseasons have been plagued with the "will he? Or won't he?" retirement rumors involving quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and that unfortunately remains true this year. Despite showing an obvious decline in performance, the 43-year-old intends to play in 2026, and he's dragging the Steelers on a string until he makes that decision.
For some reason, despite collapsing in the playoffs (again) last year, Pittsburgh wants him back, even with Mike McCarthy in as the new head coach.
Despite their apparent falling-out that led to his departure from Green Bay, Rodgers is reportedly still interested in continuing his career with the Steelers but has yet to make a decision. And based on how he's conducted himself in recent memory, there's surely no end in sight for him to make up his mind.
Regardless of whether he ultimately returns, the Patriots will be handed a massive advantage in their eventual matchup against the AFC North team. If Rodgers is under center, that's still a win because he is not the same Rodgers of old.
If he decides to retire instead, the Steelers have no real quarterback in place to become the next competitive starter, which is also a massive win for New England.
Aaron Rodgers future with the Steelers doesn't matter to the Patriots
Although one of the most brutal losses of their 2025 season came at the hands of the Steelers, the Patriots are an improved group that would arguably fare much better this time around and would likely be considered the favorites in the matchup.
That goes for whether Rodgers is the quarterback, and as of right now, it's still up in the air about what he will decide.
It has become a thing of ego for the future Hall of Famer, and that will continue as long as the Steelers allow it. From what we've seen in the past, McCarthy appeared to show a lot of patience for Rodgers in Green Bay, so there's room to believe that will still happen now.
It's a mistake, however, because he's not the long-term solution at the position, and they only barely won a spot in last year's playoffs, and it wasn't because of Rodgers' performance. In fact, you could argue it was in spite of it.
No matter what, the Patriots are a big beneficiary of whatever scenario happens, and it's a big deal considering how tough their 2026 schedule is projected to be. If they can mark at least one game off the list of biggest concerns, that's massive going into Week 1.
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