Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers confirms 2026 is his final NFL season
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has confirmed the 2026 season will definitively be his last in the NFL as he arrived for his 22nd training camp on Tuesday.
The 42-year-old veteran reported to the team’s facility in Latrobe, Pennsylvania, and immediately shut down speculation about a potential extension to his career.
“No. Zero debate. Zero,” the four-time MVP said when asked if he might reconsider.
Metcalf suggests change of heart
Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf had earlier told local media he was not ruling anything out regarding his team-mate’s future.
“People just say things at the beginning of the year, not knowing how a year could go,” Metcalf said.
“He may not even get hit or touched this year and may say, ‘Hey, let’s go out there and do another one’.”
However, the highly decorated signal-caller dismissed the suggestion that an injury-free campaign could tempt him to play on.
A meaningful final chapter
The impending retirement holds special significance for Pittsburgh head coach Mike McCarthy.
McCarthy previously coached the legendary passer for 13 seasons at the Green Bay Packers, a partnership that began during the player’s second NFL season in 2005.
“When you get to that point in life and you get into the fourth quarter of a career, you do reflect,” McCarthy said.
“I think it’s super cool that I get to line up with him one more time.”
Despite the finality of the upcoming season, the former Super Bowl champion admitted his return to the St. Vincent College dormitories felt surprisingly normal.
“Last year it felt way more dramatic to me, like it’s my last arrival to training camp,” Rodgers explained.
“This year it doesn’t feel anything, I’m just happy to be out here with the guys.”