The Aaron Rodgers era is officially upon the Pittsburgh Steelers. After months of speculation, the decision finally came to fruition, beginning the latest chapter for one of the most storied franchises in league history. But it is also the latest chapter in the career of one of the all-time greats at the quarterback position.
After nearly two decades in the league, there isn’t much left for Rodgers to accomplish. A four-time MVP and a Super Bowl champion, his resume stacks up well against the best of them. However, with the Steelers, he has a chance to add to his resume, and now we know the jersey he’s going to rock on the yellow-and-black.
What Is Aaron Rodgers’ Jersey Number for the Pittsburgh Steelers?
For the Steelers, the Mike Tomlin era as a head coach has been a mixed bag. Regardless of the roster or the situation, no losing seasons in his nearly two-decade-long run is mightily impressive. However, equally worrisome are the zero playoff wins since 2016.
As a result, Tomlin and the Steelers as a whole will be hoping Rodgers can take them over the hump. His last three years don’t inspire much confidence, especially after a 21st-ranked finish on PFSN’s QB+ metric last season. However, a former four-time league MVP will always inspire some confidence after the team’s rough season last year with Russell Wilson at the helm.
With Wilson standing behind center, they started 6-1, but things went downhill from there. That hot start quickly fell by the wayside, with the season ending in a five-game losing streak that culminated with a Wild Card Round loss to the Baltimore Ravens in the playoffs. On the other hand, Rodgers, after promising a Super Bowl to New York, led the Jets to just five wins on the season.
Still, from the end of the season to the beginning of June, the Steelers have patiently waited for Rodgers to green-light their relationship finally. Even with multiple opportunities to draft a potential franchise quarterback in the 2025 NFL Draft, especially with Shedeur Sanders still on the board, Pittsburgh exercised patience.
Ultimately, they got their man on a bargain one-year contract of just $13.65 million, with $10 million guaranteed, that could increase to $19.5 million with incentives. With the marriage finally official, the Steelers answered the next obvious question.
In a social media post, the organization confirmed that the former Green Bay Packers superstar would continue with his reformed jersey number, eight. Starting his career wearing 12 in Green Bay, he switched jersey numbers when he joined the New York Jets.
🎱 @AaronRodgers12 pic.twitter.com/seuxH7lDxY
— Pittsburgh Steelers (@steelers) June 7, 2025
With a disastrous two-year run with the Jets, including a season-ending Achilles injury in 2023, there was a question mark about his number choice with the Steelers, especially with the legendary Terry Bradshaw also sporting 12 during his time leading the team to four Super Bowl victories.
Ultimately, though, Rodgers chose not to infringe on Bradshaw’s legacy, the same way he did with Joe Namath when joining New York, and is instead going to try to carve a new legacy sporting an eight on his back.
