After months of speculation, the Pittsburgh Steelers officially signed Aaron Rodgers to a one-year, $13.65 million contract with a $3.65 million salary, a $10 million signing bonus and incentives that could bring it up to $19.5 million.
Rodgers will been the team's starting quarterback in 2025, replacing Mason Rudolph atop the depth chart after they signed the veteran to originally take Russell Wilson's spot after he signed with the New York Giants in free agency.
At 41, Rodgers is by the far the most successful quarterback the Steelers have had since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season. He joins the team with a Super Bowl win, Super Bowl MVP, four NFL MVPs, 10 Pro Bowls and five All-Pro selections on his resume.
While Pittsburgh is glad to have Rodgers on their team, there was apparently another NFL team (besides the Minnesota Vikings) that considered signing the former first-round pick this offseason, as
"Our first priority, which was consistently communicated was, hey, let's work something out with Matt [Stafford]. We were very fortunate that it worked out that way. If that wasn't able to occur, then [signing Rodgers] was definitely a conversation and a possibility for us," Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay shared on "Good Morning Football" on Wednesday. "I have a ton of respect for the body of work, and I've gotten to know Aaron, and I've really enjoyed the conversations, the approach and the way that he thinks about the game and life. So, that was a possibility, but our first priority was always to get Matthew back."
Stafford led the Rams to an NFC West title last season while completing 65.8% of his passes for 3,762 yards, 20 touchdowns and eight interceptions, but he was set to enter the final year of his deal in 2025, so the team originally gave him permission to seek a trade.
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Los Angeles and Stafford eventually agreed to a renegotiated two-year contract worth $80 million in new money and gave him $40 million guaranteed at signing, per Over the Cap.
That move allowed the Rams to pass on Rodgers and gave him the ability to fall in Pittsburgh's lap months after the start of the new league year.
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