What the Steelers’ Rare Contract Move on Aaron Rodgers Means for the QB’s Future

Key Points:

• The Pittsburgh Steelers have placed a right of first refusal tag on quarterback Aaron Rodgers, effectively ensuring he will either play for Pittsburgh in 2026 or not play elsewhere.
• This tag allows Rodgers to receive a 10% salary increase from last year, paying him $15 million next season, while enabling the Steelers to match any external offer and gain a compensatory draft pick if he leaves.
• After July 22, 2026, or the first day of the NFL training camp that year, the Steelers will have exclusive negotiating rights with Rodgers, meaning he would need to be signed and traded if he wants to join another team mid-season.
• Rodgers, who turns 43 in December, has yet to confirm his plans for the upcoming season, with Pittsburgh delaying expectations for his decision multiple times since the end of the 2025 season.
• The Steelers drafted quarterback Drew Allar in the 2026 NFL draft to join Mason Rudolph and Will Howard, as the team continues to await Rodgers’ decision.