Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he is certain the 2026 season will be his final campaign in the NFL.<\/p>\n
“No. Zero debate,” Rodgers said Tuesday when asked if there would be any question about returning for 2027 (h\/t ESPN’s Brooke Pryor).<\/p>\n
Rodgers said his decision to return for a 22nd season hinged on the Steelers hiring his former Green Bay Packers coach Mike LaFleur. <\/p>\n
“I thought last year might be it, and then Mike got hired, and I talked to my wife, and she said you can do one more year, see if it works out, and then it kind of all came together,” Rodgers said.<\/p>\n
The 42-year-old is now set to become the eighth player<\/a> in NFL history to play at least 22 seasons in the league.<\/p>\n Steelers wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, who is heading into his eighth NFL season and second in Pittsburgh, expressed some doubt as to whether Rodgers will stick to his word.<\/p>\n “People just say things, end of the year, not knowing how the year could go,” (h\/t Steelers Now’s Alan Saunders<\/a>). “He may not even get hit or touched this year, and he may say, ‘Hey, Let’s go out there and do another one.’ <\/p>\n “It just took some weight off his back. He’s just going out there playing free, enjoying possibly his last year with his teammates, with a couple of close friends that he’s made over the past two years. So, I think it’s just a lot of weight off his shoulders right now.”<\/p>\n