Former Green Bay Packers and New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers is expected to sign a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Ian Rapoport, and Mike Garafolo. Rodgers will fly to Pittsburgh next week and participate in the team’s mandatory minicamp, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

Steelers never wavered in their belief that Aaron Rodgers eventually would sign with Pittsburgh. Steelers HC Mike Tomlin loomed large in this entire situation. Tomlin was a drawing card for Rodgers, and was happy to work within Rodgers’ timeline. He is a major reason that Rodgers… pic.twitter.com/O2hzqdgfuU

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) June 5, 2025

After spending the first 18 seasons of his career with the Packers, Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets, where he played the last two years. In 17 starts with the Jets last season, Rodgers threw for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Unfortunately, Gang Green finished the campaign with a 5-12 record under Rodgers’ leadership.

It’s about time

I have been pounding my head against the wall, watching the Pittsburgh Steelers try to fool everybody into thinking that Mason Rudolph had a legitimate shot at being the full-time starter this season. It turns out that Pittsburgh’s front office only needed to watch Mason Rudolph practice for six days before eventually giving Rodgers the deal that he wanted.

This was going to be the move for the Steelers the whole time. I do not genuinely believe Mike Tomlin was going to risk losing his winning-season streak at the hands of Mason Rudolph.

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Aaron Rodgers plans to sign with the #Steelers, per The Insiders.

It’ll be a 1-year deal. At long last, the four-time MVP lands in his best spot. pic.twitter.com/6GK5nlMNdr

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 5, 2025

After the Jets cut ties with Rodgers, there were only a few viable spots for him to go. He could’ve played for the Giants, but that pipe dream was brought to an abrupt end with the signing of Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. After Minnesota rejected his help, and he shut down New Orleans, the only sensible destination for Rodgers if he wanted to play this year was Pittsburgh.

I’m just glad this whole saga is over. The will-they, won’t they bullsh*t was getting tiresome. Now the Steelers can actually focus on the task at hand, which is winning a Super Bowl.

What does this mean for the Steelers?

This changes the entire complexion of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season. Instead of being a six-win team, they are an immediate contender for a playoff spot. However, I don’t think this signing makes them good enough to overtake the Baltimore Ravens, who are still the leaders of the pack in the AFC North.

The good news for Pittsburgh is that Aaron Rodgers doesn’t have to play like an MVP for the season to go well. In fact, if he puts up the numbers he did with the Jets, I think that will be more than good enough to earn the Steelers 10 or 11 wins.

Among the similarities between the Steelers and Jets: They both wanted Justin Fields more than Aaron Rodgers this season

— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) June 5, 2025

The Aaron Rodgers experiment in New York was doomed from the start because they’re the Jets. These things never work out for them. But with the Steelers, it’s a different story. Things are just done differently in Pittsburgh. The ownership, front office, and head coach all provide sources of consistency, which the Jets haven’t had in the Woody Johnson era. More importantly, the Steelers are not going to inflate Rodgers’ ego the way the Jets did. They’re going to treat him as just another contributor on the team, which is how a 41-year-old quarterback should be treated. Hell, rookie quarterback Will Howard might even learn a thing or two from the former Super Bowl MVP.

I don’t believe the Pittsburgh Steelers are going to win the Super Bowl with Aaron Rodgers as their starting quarterback. The AFC is stacked with teams like the Chiefs, Bills, Ravens, and so on. It might even be possible that the Steelers miss out on the playoffs based on how competitive the conference is. But with Aaron Rodgers now leading the charge, the Steelers’ chances of winning a Super Bowl are much higher today than they were yesterday.