We now have an idea when Aaron Rodgers will make a retirement decision

We now have an idea when Aaron Rodgers will make a retirement decision originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

A year ago, Aaron Rodgers' decision hijacked the offseason.

He was a free agent, and maybe retirement was on the table, but so were a couple of teams, and then it seemed to just be the Pittsburgh Steelers, and still nothing was resolved for months.

It sounds like it'll be a bit different this offseason.

ESPN's Adam Schefter wrote this on X on Wednesday: "Aaron Rodgers’ decision about whether to return for his 22nd NFL season is expected sooner than last year and there is a belief it could come by mid March."

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That's particularly key news for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Rodgers joined the Steelers for the 2025 season and led them to the playoffs, where they were easily dispatched in the first round by a dominant Texans defense.

Pittsburgh doesn't have a great QB situation going forward. Under contract for the Steelers right now are Mason Rudolph and Will Howard.

They aren't in a position to get an obvious starter in the draft, and free agency isn't too deep, with only Malik Willis viewed as a surefire starter out of that group.

That leaves Rodgers' decision looming as important for the Steelers and new head coach Mike McCarthy, who won a Super Bowl with Rodgers in Green Bay.

If Rodgers opts not to retire, he very well could be starting for the Steelers in Week 1 of the 2026 NFL season.

If he does retire, though, one bit of irony: The last pass he ever threw would go down in history as a pick-six, one on which he was juked while trying to make a tackle, too.

Maybe he'll seek out a better ending.

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