Aaron Rodgers, one of the most talked-about NFL players, remains a free agent. There’s been lots of speculation on whether Rodgers will even play this season, and if he does, which team he will suit up for after a disastrous two-year stint with the New York Jets.
Rodgers has gone back and forth over the last few months regarding his football future and has been linked to various teams including the Minnesota Vikings, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants and Pittsburgh Steelers. Over the weekend—and just before 20 teams open organized team activities (OTAs) on Tuesday—Rodgers hinted that one of those teams could be his preferred destination during a Q&A session at an event hosted by rapper Mike Stud.
A young fan asked the four-time MVP if he would ever play for the Chicago Bears, at whom Rodgers once infamously screamed “I still own you” when scoring against them as a Green Bay Packer. While Rodgers was quick to respond that he wouldn’t be going to the Bears, he indicated he wouldn’t mind still going to Chicago to face the Bears this season.
“No,” Rodgers responded to the question. “But I believe there’s a team that might play in Chicago this year on a road trip.”
When someone followed up by asking, “What team?” Rodgers became coy.
“I don’t know, not sure. Got to check it out,” said Rodgers. “I love Chicago, though. Way more than they love me. It’s been a great relationship. All one way.”
One only has to look at Chicago’s home schedule next season to connect the dots. Outside of the divisional opponents in the Lions, Packers, and Vikings, the Bears will also host the Browns, Steelers, Giants, Saints, and Cowboys.
Then, you only have to do a process of elimination to see which team he is referring to among the four teams he’s been linked to.
Minnesota has said it’s committed to 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy, while the Giants spent a 2025 first-round pick on Jaxson Dart, in addition to signing both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston. That leaves the Steelers and Saints, and another question from this session just happened to ask Rodgers if he had interest in playing for New Orleans.
“No,” Rodgers replied flatly. “I’ve played there a couple of times, but no. The answer is no. I’m too old, I don’t want to live in Louisiana. Sorry.”
That leaves the Pittsburgh Steelers, who will visit Chicago in Week 12 on Nov. 23. Perhaps another incentive for Rodgers to join the Steelers is that they begin their 2025 season by facing the team that just released Rodgers—the New York Jets—in New York City.
If that wasn’t enough motivation to join the Steelers, there’s also the fact that they will play the team Rodgers made his name with—the Green Bay Packers. Albeit it’s a home game, Pittsburgh will host the Packers in a Sunday Night Football contest in Week 8.
Unlike many other teams that had clear needs at quarterback, the Steelers have made no splashy moves at the position this offseason. They let both Wilson and Justin Fields walk in free agency, with both ending up with the New York teams, while the Steelers brought back Mason Rudolph after he spent last year with the Titans. Pittsburgh also passed on all of the top quarterbacks in the draft, not selecting former Ohio State standout Will Howard until the sixth round.
So there’s certainly a need for an established signal-caller in Pittsburgh, and there’s certainly an interest from Rodgers to head to the Steel City. However, he’s clearly in no rush to sign a deal and undergo the rigors of OTAs, minicamp, and possibly even some training camp. Last year, Rodgers infamously skipped mandatory minicamp with the Jets as he vacationed in Egypt, and that became front-page news in New York.
Pittsburgh is simply carrying on business as usual, as it held Day One of OTAs on Tuesday. Both Rudolph and Howard went through drills, with both well aware that the QB room could have a new addition, whether that’s in a few weeks or a few months.
Rodgers had 28 touchdowns versus 11 interceptions last year in New York, while completing 63 percent of his passes on a 90.5 passer rating. That rating was the worst of his NFL career, as was the 5-12 record the team posted. However, Rodgers did improve as the year went on, and he got further removed from his Week 1 Achilles injury from the 2023 season.
Over the first seven games of last year, Rodgers had 10 touchdowns versus seven interceptions on an 82.2 passer rating. Over the last 10 games, Rodgers had an 18:4 TD:INT, with a 97 passer rating.
