05/20/26 01:53:00
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05/20 13:51 CDT Aaron Rodgers says the 2026 NFL season will be his last: 'This
is it'
Aaron Rodgers says the 2026 NFL season will be his last: 'This is it'
By WILL GRAVES
AP Sports Writer
PITTSBURGH (AP) --- Aaron Rodgers took his time before deciding he wanted to
come back for a 22nd season. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback already has
made up his mind about a 23rd: There won't be one.
"This is it," Rodgers said Wednesday when the four-time NFL MVP was asked if
this would be his final year.
The 42-year-old did not expand on why he came to that conclusion when making
his first public comments since signing a one-year deal to return to the
Steelers on Monday.
Rodgers instead is leaning into the present, including his reunion with
first-year Steelers coach Mike McCarthy. The two spent 13 seasons together in
Green Bay earlier in their careers, and Rodgers pointed to McCarthy's hiring as
Mike Tomlin's replacement as a major factor in his decision to run it back one
last time.
"It is like a (bunch of) ?pinch me' moments that have happened in the last few
days," he said following the second day of Pittsburgh's voluntary organized
team activities.
McCarthy and Rodgers won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay after the 2010
season, and they remained in frequent contact over the winter and into the
spring as Rodgers weighed whether he wanted to put his body through the rigors
of a 17-game season.
Rodgers ultimately landed on yes, hoping for the rarest of exits: one he can
dictate on his own terms.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
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