The biggest storyline surrounding the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason is whether Aaron Rodgers will return for a second year with the franchise, and wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. weighed in on the topic. Rodgers had a decent first year with the team, coming from an unsuccessful run with the New York Jets. At 42, however, the quarterback might only have a couple of years left in the NFL at most.
What does Pittman think of Rodgers’ future?
What Steelers Receiver Michael Pittman Jr. Thinks About Aaron Rodgers’ NFL Future
Rodgers has put together a Hall of Fame-worthy NFL career that includes four MVP awards, a Super Bowl ring, and much more. With the quarterback now in the twilight of his career, football enthusiasts have spent recent offseasons speculating about when he’ll hang up his helmet.
While Pittman didn’t divulge much detail on “Up & Adams,” he did give an indication of what Rodgers might decide this offseason.
“I didn’t want to just get signed and then blow him up and be like, ‘Hey Aaron, what’s the deal?’ Just give him time, you know, him and his wife, they got to handle some things, and then he will decide if he wants to come back or not,” he said. “The fact that he’s still out doing like flag football stuff, and all that. I think that he wants to play. Just knowing Aaron prior to this, I think that he’s going to try and play as long as he can.”
“I think that he wants to play… knowing Aaron [Rodgers] prior to this, I think that he’s going to try and play as long as he can…”
Steelers WR Michael Pittman Jr. on Aaron Rodgers’ future@heykayadams | @MikePitt_Jr | @steelers pic.twitter.com/EChw21iCPn— Up & Adams (@UpAndAdamsShow) March 23, 2026
A late decision by Rodgers wouldn’t be surprising, given how late he officially committed to the Steelers last year. Nonetheless, with a young prospective starter in Will Howard also in the quarterback room, Rodgers’ return should serve the position’s future well.
Howard already sat the 2025 season behind both Rodgers and Mason Rudolph, and spending another year learning under the likes of Rodgers will be much to his and the team’s benefit.
“We also have two other quarterbacks on roster that I think are great guys too in Will [Howard] and Mason [Rudolph],” Pittman added. “We have really good plans whether he doesn’t come back or whether he does, we can rock with what we’ve got, but obviously hoping he comes back.”
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The future isn’t set in stone, and whether Rodgers returns remains to be seen (71.4 PFSN QB Impact). If he returns for another year, Pittsburgh can ride him to the 2027 NFL Draft, which is expected to be loaded with quarterback talent.
On the other hand, if he calls it a career this offseason, the team could try to make it work with Howard and Rudolph or aim for next year’s draft.
