Aaron Rodgers Finally Makes Decision on Steelers Return Amid Cardinals Link: Report

A saga that’s been building since January just got a bit closer to ending. Aaron Rodgers finished the 2025 season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, alluding to it possibly being his last. However, he neither confirmed nor denied whether he was going to make a decision, while the team quietly planned around him. But it looks like the veteran quarterback is finally breaking his silence.

On May 7th’s edition of The Fan Morning Show on 93.7 The Fan, Dorin Dickerson and Adam Crowley reported that Rodgers is traveling to Pittsburgh, and that a re-signing is expected sometime this weekend.

The Steelers are no strangers to this situation. Last offseason, before Rodgers signed in June, similar reports circulated in the days leading up to his decision. A fan had called in at the time to report that he’d seen Rodgers exiting an unnamed hotel, sparking speculations of a signing. This year, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had already reported the Steelers wanted an answer by May 18, the start of their OTAs. And judging by the latest reports, Rodgers is getting there just ahead of it.

EXCLUSIVE: @scorindorin and @_adamcrowley report Aaron Rodgers reportedly coming into Pittsburgh tonight, expected re-sign sometime this weekend. https://t.co/hlwtXiyajv pic.twitter.com/PQVkGxyszu

— 93.7 The Fan (@937theFan) May 7, 2026

The contract structure for Aaron Rodgers is already in place. The Steelers placed a UFA tender on him after the draft – a 10% raise on his 2025 salary of $13.65 million, putting him at roughly $15 million for 2026. NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero reported that Rodgers’ agent was given a “heads-up” when the tender was placed. If he signs it, he’s back. IF he stays unsigned past July 22, Pittsburgh gets his exclusive negotiating rights. And if he signs elsewhere within this time, the Steelers get a compensatory pick for 2027.

Now, Rodgers is the four-time MVP quarterback coming off a Wild Card exit at 42. The alternative depth in the Steelers’ QB room features Will Howard, 3rd round rookie Drew Allar, and Mason Rudolph. Howard has spent the majority of the last season on the bench, reeling from a hand injury, and learning from Rodgers. Allar himself is currently questionable with a season-ending ankle injury he suffered at Penn State last October. Rudolph is the only one with any kind of starting experience among them all.

With this happening, there is no doubt that Pittsburgh needs Rodgers in their QB room, which now seems like something that is going to be confirmed. Meanwhile, there’s a thread connecting the veteran quarterback to the Arizona Cardinals, but that conversation hasn’t held much ground.

The Cardinals’ link closes, Steelers advised to plan for the worst-case scenario

Nathaniel Hackett – Rodgers’ offensive coordinator during his back-to-back MVP seasons with the Green Bay Packers – is now Arizona’s OC. That’s the thread that had kept the Cardinals’ story alive for some time. Wide receiver Kendrick Bourne only added more fuel to it when he tried to recruit AR8 on social media, tagging him directly.

“@AaronRodgers12 Come on we waiting on you,” he wrote on X, which got everyone’s attention immediately.

But ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss went to a Cardinals source to confirm that there is no realistic interest in Rodgers within their building. Arizona’s quarterback room is also loaded with Jacoby Brissett, Gardner Minshew, third-round rookie Carson Beck, and Kedon Slovis, in that order. They don’t really need a fifth quarterback at this point.

With Arizona out of the picture, Pittsburgh is the only realistic destination now, and the front office is already war-gaming what happens if the season goes sideways. Former Steelers GM Doug Whaley laid it out on 93.7 The Fan. His hypothetical: Pittsburgh is 3-7 at midseason, out of the playoff race, and Rodgers isn’t the answer anymore.

NFL, American Football Herren, USA Pittsburgh Steelers at Los Angeles Chargers Nov 9, 2025 Inglewood, California, USA Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers 8 looks on during warmups before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium. Inglewood SoFi Stadium California USA, EDITORIAL USE ONLY PUBLICATIONxINxGERxSUIxAUTxONLY Copyright: xJaynexKamin-Onceax 20251109_hlf_aj4_021

“I would say, ‘Omar [Khan, current GM], let’s go try to trade him.’ That’s what I would do,” Whaley said. “You’re not gonna get much… But some team might say, maybe the Cardinals, lemme bring him in. Do some stuff like that. That’s what I would do.”

Whaley’s trade value benchmark for that scenario is Joe Flacco, who netted a fifth-round pick when the Cleveland Browns moved him to the Cincinnati Bengals last season. That’s the realistic ceiling for a struggling 42-year-old quarterback mid-season. A Day 3 pick, and only if a contender loses its starter and still believes it can win with Rodgers.

The other option for the Steelers is to bench Aaron Rodgers and turn to Howard or Allar, accelerating the evaluation of the next quarterback up. But this creates its own problems. Rodgers doesn’t have a no-trade clause, but he’d have to agree to any deal the Steelers give him. Last season, he went out of his way to mentor the rookies in the building, but will a benched Rodgers be just a cooperative?

Pittsburgh is about to get the answer it has been waiting on since January. Whether that answer holds through December is the question nobody in that building wants to say out loud yet.

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