Aaron Rodgers Says Steelers Are Super Bowl Contenders (Getty Images)
The 42-year-old quarterback, who re-signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers on a one-year, $22.5 million deal in May, made it plain during an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio this week. When asked whether the Steelers belong among the 8 to 12 teams capable of reaching the Super Bowl, Rodgers answered without hesitation: “Yeah, of course. This is a man who has announced that 2026 is it, his final season, and he would not be putting his body through another year of NFL football unless he genuinely believed Pittsburgh gave him a shot.
Because i believe in the guys, that’s why I came back,.
“I like what Pat Graham has done on defense,” Rodgers said. Aaron Rodgers is heading into his 22nd and final NFL season with one thing on his mind, and he is not being subtle about it. Of course. For a franchise that has not advanced past the wild-card round in years, that kind of conviction from a four-time MVP carries weight. Aaron Rodgers is not throwing around Super Bowl talk for the cameras. On the defensive side, he pointed to concrete moves as reasons for his belief. “We added Jaquan Brisker, the safety who was in Chicago, we added Jamel Dean, who is a veteran, we added Sebastian Joseph-Day who is a great, rotational interior d-lineman. I like the way that we drafted too. Got some good value out of our later-round picks.”
He will need to take more shots downfield and stay in the pocket longer than he did during the 2025 season. At 42, in a final season, with a Hall of Fame résumé and nothing left to prove to anyone but himself, Rodgers may be more dangerous than critics realize.
“Offensively, we’re younger outside of kind of myself and Bobby Tonyan coming back being our third tight end,” Rodgers said. Rodgers did not just give a broad pep talk. He went position by position, which is either the sign of a quarterback who has studied his team carefully or one who is trying to convince himself as much as anyone else. Either way, the detail was notable. “We got a great center, left guard, left tackle who are ascending players. Pat Freiermuth has had a really good camp. We added Rico Dowdle to the mix with Jaylen Warren, who are both dynamic players. I like the roster, and then we have the most clutch kicker in the game. We’ve got a Pittsburgh long snapper who is really good at his job, and we’ve got an Aussie punter who is one of the best in the business. A big part of how far this team goes will depend on Rodgers himself. The ego that drives him to believe Pittsburgh can win it all is the same quality that could push him to play at a level the Steelers need.