First Call: Aaron Rodgers will 'reassess' retirement talk after season; another WR trade option to watch

Tuesday’s “First Call” has more evidence of Aaron Rodgers’ indecision on the notion of retirement following the 2025 campaign.

There’s another wide receiver to monitor when it comes to trade rumors that may eventually get linked to the Pittsburgh Steelers. An ex-Steelers defensive back is looking for a new place to play.

And a big-name AFC North rival has ended his contract dispute.

Walking it back

Shortly after he committed to playing with the Steelers in June, Aaron Rodgers told the “Pat McAfee Show” that he was “pretty sure” 2025 was going to be his last year in the NFL, citing that was the reason why he and the Steelers only committed to a one-year contract.

He then modified that statement during training camp.

Is Aaron Rodgers really going into this season like it's his last, as he told Pat McAfee it "probably" would be?

"Yeah, I might go into the season like that. I might not." pic.twitter.com/hVyaK25itu

— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) July 24, 2025

During an interview with Adam Schein that was posted at Sirius XM on Monday, Rodgers poked the door open a little wider.

“I don’t know,” Rodgers said of retirement via a Sporting News transcript of the interview. “I mean, I’ll reassess all that in the end. I signed a one-year contract, so there was nothing in there about playing longer than one year. But we’ll see how it goes.

“You’d love to have success and be healthy. We can start there with health and have some success and enjoy it. You know, make a run. That’d be really special, and then we’ll figure that out come next February.”

Receiver DK Metcalf also got Rodgers to give a “maybe” on Cam Heyward’s podcast at the idea of returning in 2026.

Rodgers’ cap hit this year is just $14.1 million. Presumably, it’d be for significantly more if things work out well in 2025 and he wants to play again next season.

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Nothing pending

Via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Las Vegas Raiders have “no plans” to trade Jakobi Meyers. That’s despite Monday’s news that the wide receiver wants out of Vegas because of a lag in his contract negotiations.

#Raiders WR Jakobi Meyers recently met with team brass and requested to be traded, per me and @TomPelissero.

The team, citing his value, said they had no plans to do so. Meyers and the team attempted to negotiate a new contract, but could not come to terms. pic.twitter.com/GM2oUMDjt3

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 25, 2025

The Raiders, though, did reacquire Amari Cooper at the position. He was a first-round pick by the club in 2015 and was a Pro Bowl performer his first two years in the NFL.

He has bounced around a bit since a 2018 trade, playing in Dallas, Cleveland and Buffalo.

Should the Raiders change their minds about dealing Meyers, the Steelers are in need of pass-catching help. He is coming off a career-high 1,027 yards and 87 catches last year. In 2023, the seventh-year vet had eight touchdowns receiving and two more on the ground.

Meyers would carry a $10.5 million salary for 2025. He is a free agent after that.

Moving on from Miami

Mike Hilton is looking for a new home. The ex-Steeler was released by the Miami Dolphins on Monday.

Dolphins have informed veteran cornerback Mike Hilton of his release, per his agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey.

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 25, 2025

The defensive back went to the Dolphins on July 26. He had been with the Cincinnati Bengals since 2021. He signed a four-year, $24 million contract there.

Hilton began his NFL career as an undrafted free agent in 2017. With the Steelers, Hilton played in 59 games, collecting 237 tackles (30 for loss), 9.5 sacks, seven interceptions, five fumble recoveries and three forced fumbles.

Deal done

Cincinnati Bengals star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson has his new contract, ending an extended hold-in.

The All-Pro defensive end is getting a $14 million raise for this season and will make a salary of $30 million, according to Cincinnati.com. 

However, the franchise and Hendrickson couldn’t reach a long-term agreement. As a result, last year’s NFL leader in sacks is going to be a free agent next spring.

“It gives a lot of clarity to the 2025 defense,” Hendrickson said to Bengals.com. “I feel like now we can go collectively play for the 2025 Bengals — and what’s best for the team is the best players playing in their relative positions.”

Hendrickson previously requested a trade from the Bengals. He refused to play under the terms of his old contract, which was due to pay him a base salary of $15.8 million.

Watch: Tim Benz and Mark Madden discuss the Steelers upcoming season in “Madden-Benz: Unfiltered!”