Aaron Rodgers has reported for the final training camp of his NFL career, beginning one last season with the coach who helped guide him through the most successful years of his time in Green Bay.

The 42-year-old returned to Saint Vincent College on Tuesday after signing another one-year contract with Pittsburgh in May. Any remaining ambiguity surrounding his plans beyond 2026 was removed when Rodgers reiterated that the coming season will be his last. It is an ending that did not appear inevitable when he first joined the Steelers, as Rodgers entered last summer attempting to rebuild his career after a difficult final season with the New York Jets. He started all of Pittsburgh’s games, including its playoff appearance, and completed 65.7 percent of his passes for 3,322 yards, throwing 24 touchdowns against seven interceptions and emerging sufficiently healthy to contemplate another year.

“The arm has never been an issue in all my 20-plus years playing,” Rodgers said after arriving at camp. “And, before that, I never really had any arm issues. … It’s just the legs. I did my usual, spent a lot of time with my body work folks, trying to lengthen muscles and open things up and feel better, but…”

Rodgers’ return coincides with the first change of head coach in Pittsburgh for 19 years, as Mike McCarthy replaces Mike Tomlin, reuniting a partnership that began when he arrived in Green Bay in 2006. Together, McCarthy and Rodgers won Super Bowl XLV and reached the playoffs in eight consecutive seasons, although their relationship deteriorated before the coach was dismissed during the 2018 campaign. Time has softened some of those edges, and McCarthy’s appointment created the possibility of one final collaboration.

“It’s special, there’s no doubt about it,” McCarthy said. “Trust me, that’s not lost on me. Every day, I think it’s super cool that I get to line up with him one more time.”

The reunion carries more than nostalgic value too. McCarthy will call Pittsburgh’s offensive plays, while Rodgers has already identified structural changes he believes can improve an attack that too often became dependent upon obvious passing situations last season.

“It starts under center,” the quarterback said. “Some of the best offenses in the league are not too shotgun-happy. Obviously, on third down, you’re going to be in shotgun, but the more you can be under center on first and second down, I think, is really important to being efficient on those downs, as well.”

Greater use of play-action and quarterback movement will place demands upon the legs Rodgers has spent the summer preparing. It may also help Pittsburgh create easier completions and better marry its passing game to an offense that retains DK Metcalf as its principal receiving threat. Rodgers and Metcalf spent part of the offseason at a ranch with several team-mates and have again chosen to share accommodation at Saint Vincent College. Their relationship will carry additional importance after Pittsburgh’s wider changes at receiver.

The Steelers must also determine how to divide developmental work behind their starter. Mason Rudolph returns as an experienced reserve, while Will Howard and third-round rookie Drew Allar represent possible options beyond Rodgers’ retirement. Every repetition given to the starter assists the immediate cause but removes one from quarterbacks Pittsburgh may need in 2027.

That balancing act can wait, however. Rodgers has arrived with his intended conclusion already declared, leaving no contractual courtship or retirement uncertainty to follow through the summer. The final question is now the only one that matters, namely how far can Rodgers and McCarthy travel together one last time?