The Pittsburgh Steelers loss to the Houston Texans in the Wild Card round ended up being the curtain call for the Mike Tomlin era after 19 seasons of the head coach in the Steel City. Although the Steelers brought in four-time MVP-winning quarterback Aaron Rodgers and won the AFC North, it wasn’t enough to end Pittsburgh’s drought of playoff wins.
It would appear to be a curtain call of sorts for Rodgers as well, at least in Pittsburgh. It’s not the biggest surprise, considering that Rodgers entered the season sounding as if he was well aware that this would likely be his final go-around in the NFL.
However, leading up to this season’s Wild Card game, Rodgers seemed willing to return, and even acknowledged that he would have a couple of options should he choose to keep playing.
“I’m 42, and I’m on a 1-year deal. You know what the situation is. Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent. That’ll give me a lot of options if I still want to play — Not a lot of options, but … I would think maybe 1 or 2 if I decide I still want to play,” he said.
No Tomlin, No Thanks
However, the Steelers will not be a part of any future plans, according to one of the league’s prominent insiders.
BREAKING: QB Aaron Rodgers is not expected to return to the Steelers, per (NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport),” reported Yahoo Sports on Saturday.
BREAKING: QB Aaron Rodgers is not expected to return to the Steelers, per @RapSheet. pic.twitter.com/BrBcCYqdNW
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) January 17, 2026
The news shouldn’t come as a surprise. Team owner Art Rooney II acknowledged the day after Tomlin stepped down that Rodgers came to the franchise to work with Tomlin and that the legendary head coach’s absence would probably affect his future plans.
Even after the loss, Rodgers was steadfast in his support of his head coach, and he was reportedly sobbing and apologizing to Tomlin for not delivering a Wild Card win when the head coach announced his decision to step down.
Now that we know Rodgers isn’t coming back to Pittsburgh, it’ll be interesting to see whether he calls it a career or trys to win a Super Bowl with a new franchise, which would be the fourth of his storied career.
If this is it for Rodgers, what a ride it was. What do you think he should do?
About Qwame Skinner
Qwame Skinner has loved both writing and sports his entire life. In addition to his sports coverage at Comeback Media, Qwame writes novels, and his debut; The First Casualty, an adult fantasy, is out now.