A specific era of the NFL may have come to an end on Monday night, with Mike Tomlin announcing he is stepping down as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers following their 30-6 loss against the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card game.
The Steelers announced Tomlin’s resignation on Tuesday, ending his 19-year tenure with the organization.
Aaron Rodgers, who played for Tomlin during the 2025 season, is also unsure to continue his career. The four-time NFL MVP hasn’t made any definitive statements about his future, but did say last summer after signing with the Steelers that he is “pretty sure” this was going to be his final year.
NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported on Sunday that Rodgers was open to a return to Pittsburgh in 2026.
Tomlin’s decision would seem to make it a long shot that Rodgers is back, even if he decides to continue playing.
As the Steelers go through the interview process, interested candidates will likely want to know what ownership and/or the front office’s plan is at quarterback. The idea of selling them on a 42-year-old who by certain metrics was one of the worst starters in the NFL this season doesn’t seem like an ideal starting point.
Rodgers has acknowledged he might be able to have one or two suitors if he decides to keep playing, but the key for him would be a team that is ready to compete for a Super Bowl right now.
Some of the teams that are expected to at least look into trading their current quarterbacks, like the Arizona Cardinals, Las Vegas Raiders and Miami Dolphins, aren’t all that close to being a high-level contender.
The Cleveland Browns have the defensive talent in place to be an attractive landing spot, but it doesn’t seem in their best interest to try betting on another aging veteran after going back to the Joe Flacco well at the start of this season.
If the Minnesota Vikings want to add competition for J.J. McCarthy, they could pursue Rodgers after they reportedly considered bringing him in last offseason. Their offensive infrastructure with head coach Kevin O’Connell, a solid offensive line and a group of skill-position talent led by Justin Jefferson could give him one last chance at a Super Bowl.
It would be incredible if Rodgers truly followed the Brett Favre path by ending his career with the Vikings after becoming a legend with the Green Bay Packers, but stranger things have happened in the NFL.
Given Rodgers’ tendency to drag things out, it might take a while before we know what his plans are going forward. But it seems like a safe bet that his tenure in Pittsburgh will be one-and-done with the coach who actively pursued him last year no longer with the organization.
If this does end up being Rodgers’ lone season in Pittsburgh, he went out having led the team to its first AFC North title since 2020. He threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and a 65.7 completion percentage in 16 starts.
