Aaron Rodgers has confirmed that the 2026 NFL season will be the last of his career, bringing an end to one of the most decorated — and often polarising — quarterback stories in league history.

Speaking to reporters during organised team activities in Pittsburgh on Wednesday, Rodgers left little ambiguity when asked whether this would be his final season in the NFL.

“Yes. This is it,” he said emphatically.

The announcement comes only days after Rodgers agreed to return to the Steelers on a one-year contract reportedly worth up to $22m, setting up a 22nd and final NFL season for the four-time MVP, who also admitted that retirement had appeared likely earlier in the offseason following the departure of long-time Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.

“I thought that was probably it for me in Pittsburgh,” Rodgers said. “But when the decision was made to hire Mike McCarthy, I started opening my mind up to coming back.”

McCarthy and Rodgers spent 13 seasons together with the Green Bay Packers, winning Super Bowl XLV together during the 2010 season before their relationship gradually deteriorated toward the end of the head coach’s Lambeau tenure. Now, however, the pairing will attempt one final postseason run together in Pittsburgh.

“It is like a bunch of ‘pinch me’ moments that have happened in the last few days,” Rodgers admitted, before revealing that he spent months weighing up whether he wanted to continue playing, holding extensive conversations with McCarthy, Steelers general manager Omar Khan, and his wife before ultimately deciding to return after the NFL Draft.

The timing of the announcement nevertheless carries an element of familiarity as, before the 2025 season, Rodgers had already strongly hinted that campaign would likely be his last.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is it,” he said last year during an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show. “That’s why we just did a one-year deal. The Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on that or anything, so this was really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I’ve had.”

Instead, Rodgers now returns for one final attempt after helping lead the Steelers to a 10-7 season and another playoff appearance in 2025. Through 16 games, the 42-year-old threw for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions while stabilising a Pittsburgh offense that had struggled for consistency in recent years. The season, however, still ended in disappointment after a heavy Wild Card defeat against the Houston Texans.

Rodgers remains among the most statistically accomplished quarterbacks in NFL history as, across stints with the Packers, New York Jets and Steelers, he has accumulated more than 66,000 passing yards, over 500 touchdown passes, four MVP awards and a Super Bowl title.