The Pittsburgh Steelers had a vision.
And it took some serious patience.
It wasn’t until early June that Aaron Rodgers reached a one-year, $13.65 million contract with the Steelers, nearly four months after the Jets informed the veteran quarterback of his release.
Pittsburgh went through free agency, the NFL Draft and OTAs without adding a starting QB, taking a risk as Rodgers considered his future.
But Rodgers finally signed, and some seven months later, he and the fourth-seeded Steelers (10-7) are preparing for a playoff game against the Houston Texans (12-5).
“This was the vision in the spring when we pursued him,” head coach Mike Tomlin said after clinching the AFC North with an instant-classic 26-24 win over the Baltimore Ravens in the regular-season finale.
“That’s why you do business with a 41, 42-year-old guy, been-there, done-that guy with a résumé like his. He’s not only capable, man. He thrives in it.”
Monday night’s Wild Card Round game at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium marks Rodgers’ first postseason appearance since January of 2022.
That drought included a disappointing two-year tenure with the Jets in which Rodgers missed practically all of the 2023 season due to an Achilles tear, followed by a 2024 season in which he went 5-12.
Although Rodgers was productive in 2024 — he passed for 3,897 yards and 28 touchdowns — and finished the season strong, the Jets’ new regime of head coach Aaron Glenn and general manager Darren Mougey opted for a clean slate and moved on from the headline-making four-time MVP.
The Jets ultimately started three quarterbacks — including Justin Fields, who spent 2024 with Pittsburgh — during their 3-14 season in 2025.
Their loss proved to be Pittsburgh’s gain, as the Steelers went 10-6 in Rodgers’ starts and won their division for the first time since 2020.
“A lot of gratitude for the journey,” Rodgers said. “Every season is different, has its challenges, adversity. We haven’t made it easy on ourselves, really all season, I guess, but I’m proud of our guys.”
Rodgers, who turned 42 last month, passed for 3,322 yards and 24 touchdowns with seven interceptions in 16 games.
He was at his best when it mattered most, throwing for a season-high 294 yards and leading the Steelers on two fourth-quarter touchdown drives against the Ravens with the division on the line.
The latter of those touchdowns was a 26-yard pass to Calvin Austin with 55 seconds remaining — a go-ahead score that held up as the game-winner when Ravens rookie kicker Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field-goal attempt as time expired.
“It’s cool when you see the ball in the hands of [No.] 8 there,” said Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt, referring to Rodgers. “It’s like, he’s here for a reason. This is why he’s here. This is the best dude in the NFL for this moment.”
The Steelers enter the playoffs having won four of their last five games, but they began the week as 3.5-point underdogs to the fifth-seeded Texans.
That’s because red-hot Houston has won nine games in a row, largely on the strength of one of the NFL’s stoutest defenses.
The Texans allowed an NFL-low 277.2 yards per game, while opponents scored an AFC-low 17.4 points per game against them.
Pass rushers Danielle Hunter (15) and Will Anderson (12) combined for 27 sacks — an advantage Rodgers will attempt to thwart with one of the NFL’s quickest release times.
“Aaron, he’s done it at a high level for a long time because he’s probably one of the smartest quarterbacks to play the game,” said Houston head coach DeMeco Ryans, a former linebacker who faced Rodgers during his playing career.
“He does a really good job, understands defense really well. But for us, that doesn’t change. … It’s about our guys playing together, collectively, against a really good opponent.”
One thing working in Rodgers’ favor is the return of top wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, who is back after a two-game suspension for hitting a fan during a Week 16 win in Detroit.
Tomlin said Metcalf — who led Pittsburgh with 850 receiving yards and six touchdown catches in 15 games — is “in a great place” and “happy to be back.”
So is Rodgers, who seeks his second Super Bowl championship after winning his first a decade and a half ago with the Green Bay Packers.
“It just takes a little belief at this point in the season,” Rodgers said. “There’s 14 teams that’ll be left, 18 that’ll be planning their offseasons. It’s good to be part of the 14.”
