'I'm pretty sure this is it': Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers admits he's entering final NFL season

Aaron Rodgers said his first year with the Pittsburgh Steelers likely will be his last in the NFL.

“I’m pretty sure this is it,” Rodgers said Tuesday during an appearance on ESPN’s “The Pat McAfee Show.”

The veteran quarterback ended months of speculation that he would play a 21st season when he signed a one-year contract with the Steelers on June 5. He will receive $13.65 million in salary with a chance to increase the value of his contract to $19.5 if he reaches all his incentives.

“That’s why we did a one-year deal,” Rodgers said. “The Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on that or anything. This was about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I’ve had. I’ve played 20 freaking years. It’s been a long run, and I’ve enjoyed it. What better place to finish than in one of the cornerstone franchises in the NFL?”

Rodgers will turn 42 in December. A four-time NFL MVP, he spent the first 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers, winning a Super Bowl at the Steelers’ expense after the 2010 season. He was with the New York Jets the past two seasons, returning last year to start all 17 games after missing almost all of 2023 with an Achilles injury.

The Jets finished with a 5-12 record, marking his fourth losing season as a starter. But a chance to win wasn’t the only reason he joined the Steelers, who have made the playoffs four of the past five seasons — only to lose in the first round each time.

“It’s not really like, ‘I can’t go out like this,’ ” Rodgers said. “I love the game, and it’s been a beautiful relationship. It’s my first love when I was 6 years old dreaming about playing quarterback and being in the Super Bowl and winning the Super Bowl. I wanted to be all in. Had so many other things going on in my life that were taking my mind and my energy elsewhere.”

Rodgers said in April that his involvement with “personal issues” in his “inner circle” prevented him committing to joining an NFL team. He zeroed in on the Steelers because of his conversations with coach Mike Tomlin, who gave him the time and space for Rodgers to decide when he was ready to return.

Rodgers joined the team a few days before the start of mandatory minicamp earlier this month.

“To be able to have those honest conversations every single week was meaningful to me,” Rodgers said. “The way I was welcomed in was really cool. … But I didn’t need this. I didn’t need this at all. I don’t feel the need to prove anything to anybody or have any chip on my shoulder that I need to hold onto. I don’t want the attention. I know that is a narrative out there.”

Rodgers has dated Hollywood actresses, hosted a game show and had a documentary made about his life. In the offseason, though, he said he got married to a woman named Brittani. He said that after his season with the Steelers, he plans to retreat into a private life.

“When this is all done, you won’t see me,” he said. “I won’t be in the public. I don’t want to live a public life. … You won’t see me, and I’m looking forward to that. But while I’m in it for this year, I’m going to give the Steelers everything that I’ve got, empty the tank and be super comfortable and satisfied with what happens.”

Before he took the field for the first time with the Steelers at minicamp — he participated in individual drills and took no team reps — Rodgers said he attended barbecues at Tomlin’s house and defensive captain Cameron Heyward’s home. He also took part in Heyward’s charity golf outing on the eve of minicamp.

“There is still a part of earning your stripes and paying your dues,” he said. “Even though I come in with that past and that background, I still have to come in with humility. That’s what I’ve been trying to do with the guys.”

The Steelers begin training camp in four weeks at Saint Vincent. Rodgers is trying to learn his new teammates better by inviting some players next week to his offseason home in Malibu, Calif. The Steelers have a new top receiver in DK Metcalf and just one pass catcher — Calvin Austin — with multiple seasons in a Steelers uniform.

“I really want the mantle of leadership on offense,” said Rodgers, the seventh all-time passing yardage leader in NFL history. “I’m going to earn it every single day in training camp. There is some stability I think I can bring, having played in a similar system for a long time and having played a ton of football.”