PHOTO BY EVAN SIEGLE, GREEN BAY PACKERS

Aaron Rodgers — finally — is coming to Pittsburgh as the Steelers’ presumptive starting quarterback for the 2025-26 season. It’s reportedly a one-year deal.

It’s been a long wait to get an answer from the four-time NFL MVP, who beat the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV in 2011 as quarterback of the Green Bay Packers. The 41-year-old free agent in March visited Pittsburgh to meet with the Steelers and had a throwing session at UCLA with new Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf.

Rodgers played for Green Bay for 18 seasons before being traded to the New York Jets, where a week-one injury sidelined him during the first game of the 2023 season. He led the Jets in 2024 before becoming a free agent.

The Steelers are scheduled to open the 2025 season on the road at the Jets, meaning Rodgers is set to begin his Steelers career against his former teammates.

Despite his on-field success, Rodgers has become a controversial figure in recent years. A series of negative press surrounded his decision not to be vaccinated against COVID-19, despite claiming in a media appearance that he was “immunized” against the disease; Rodgers later claimed that he had an allergy to certain vaccine ingredients and had sought alternative treatments. He also faced legal threats from Jimmy Kimmel after making defamatory statements about the late-night host during an appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”

He’ll join Mason Rudolph, 29, who was signed to return to Pittsburgh for a two-year contract after he left in 2024 to play for the Tennessee Titans. He served as the Steelers’ backup quarterback from 2018-2022. After he was re-signed in 2023, he rose to starting quarterback later in the season. On March 13, he signed a two-year, $8 million deal to play again for the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Also on the quarterback roster is Skylar Thompson. He appeared in 10 games with the Miami Dolphins before the Steelers signed him in January. They also later selected former Ohio State quarterback Will Howard in the NFL Draft.