Aaron Rodgers signed with Steelers because they were right fit for his 'soul'

Aaron Rodgers wasn’t thinking with his head when he ended what seemed like an interminable wait and signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers over the weekend.

He wasn’t necessarily thinking with his heart, either.

Rodgers reached deeper and decided the Steelers were the best fit for this stage of his career that counts 20 NFL seasons, one Super Bowl championship and four league Most Valuable Player awards.

“I don’t need it for my ego,” Rodgers, 41, said Tuesday after his first workout with the Steelers, his third NFL team. “I don’t need to keep playing. A lot of decisions I’ve made over my career and in life from strictly the ego, even if they turn out well, were unfulfilling.

“The decisions I’ve made from the soul are pretty fulfilling. This was a decision that was best for my soul.”

Rodgers met with coach Mike Tomlin and general manager Omar Khan on March 21, almost two weeks into NFL free agency. He told Steelers brass to be patient, that he would sign a contract and join the team after some personal issues were behind him.

“I didn’t want to short-change the guys,” Rodgers said, “and sign but be elsewhere mentally or physically. Until I could be here and be all in, I needed to take care of my business.”

The wait extended into June before Rodgers signed a one-year, $13.65 million contract that includes almost $4 million more in incentives.

“It’s good to get back and get that behind us,” he said.

The New York Giants and Minnesota Vikings had discussions with Rodgers, but he said he centered his focus on the Steelers based on his communication with Tomlin, the NFL’s longest-tenured head coach who is entering his 19th season with the Steelers.

“The way the conversations went … from March through last Sunday when I called him were some of the coolest I’ve ever had in the game, definitely with a head coach,” Rodgers said. “He’s a big reason I’m here. I believe in him, and I’m excited to play for him.”

Tomlin zeroed in on Rodgers as an option even when the Steelers were deciding whether to retain Justin Fields and Russell Wilson, who each exited in free agency. Behind that duo, the Steelers went 10-7 but lost in the first round of the playoffs, extending the franchise’s streak without a postseason victory to eight seasons, their longest in the Super Bowl era.

When asked why he wanted Rodgers to play for the Steelers so badly, Tomlin simply said, “Read his resume.”

Rodgers’ accomplishments may read longer than “War and Peace.” He has a Super Bowl ring, earning it at the expense of the Steelers and Tomlin following the 2010 season. He is a four-time MVP and four-time first-team All-Pro with 10 Pro Bowl appearances. He ranks No. 7 on the NFL’s all-time passing yardage list, fifth in career touchdowns and first in career passer rating.

Rodgers also has nearly $400 million in career earnings. He has hosted game shows and dated Hollywood actresses and pro athletes before revealing Tuesday that he got married a “couple months” ago.

Yet, he resisted the urge to coast into retirement.

“I have a lot that motivates me,” Rodgers said. “This is about the love of the game. The game has given me so much over the years and (it’s about) making peace with a nice, long career.”

Tomlin isn’t concerned that Rodgers missed offseason workouts and voluntary organized team activities before joining the Steelers. After two more minicamp workouts, the Steelers will break until training in camp in mid-July at Saint Vincent College.

“I trust that whatever issues or whatever learning curve issues that needs to get through will be handled during the down period of the summer, for sure,” Tomlin said.

Rodgers said he is willing to work out with the team’s skill position players prior to training camp, joking that he would need to convince them to travel to his offseason home in Malibu, Calif.

“It’s going to be a tough sale,” Rodgers said, smiling.

For his first workout with the Steelers, Rodgers was confined to participating in individual parts of practice, throwing passes to receivers in 1-on-1 drills. Mason Rudolph took the first-team snaps in practice, followed by Skylar Thompson and rookie draft pick Will Howard while Rodgers stood next to quarterbacks coach Tom Arth and watched from behind the play.

“June reps are a heck of a lot more important for a guy like Will Howard at this stage of his career than a guy who has been doing it for 20 years,” Tomlin said. “Whatever snaps he gets, you take away from a guy like Will Howard, and we are trying to get this collective ready for training camp.”

Rudolph, who re-signed with the Steelers in March after spending 2024 with Tennessee, understands that despite the first-team work he has received, he’s merely keeping the seat warm for Rodgers.

“I assumed they were bringing someone in, and Aaron was at the forefront of the conversations,” Rudolph said.

Rodgers trusts the plan that Tomlin and the Steelers have for him for minicamp and the rest of the summer.

“I want to have fun. I want to enjoy the game,” he said. “The game has given me a ton. It’s hard to think of anything in my life that was positive that wasn’t impacted directly or indirectly by playing this game.”

Aaron Rodgers’ first public words since signing with the Steelers pic.twitter.com/Xu0yaKJBQB

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) June 10, 2025

Aaron Rodgers is still getting acclimated to the Steelers, learning names, etc. pic.twitter.com/6qg0aRk3Wl

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) June 10, 2025

Aaron Rodgers, asked if he expects to have freedom to audible or call his own plays at times: pic.twitter.com/uuYVeCKyPP

— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) June 10, 2025