Aaron Rodgers' Deal "Almost Done" As Steelers See Wild Rumors Swirl

The Pittsburgh Steelers are putting their fan base through the same torture that the group went through during the 2025 offseason when it comes to the quarterback position. The franchise is still waiting on a decision from veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and one is expected before the 2026 NFL Draft. However, it was said that a decision was expected prior to free agency, so there can't be too much hope with any sort of deadline at this juncture. Fans were assured that the process would not take as long this time around, but that has not been the case as it is still unclear who the starting quarterback will be in 2026.

During the 2025 offseason, the Steelers had to worry about Rodgers retiring, or the possibility that he could end up with another team. There was some interest in him from the Minnesota Vikings, but they didn't ever seem to truly be a threat. There have been no other suitors in 2026, until recently when it was reported that the Denver Broncos could be interested in bringing in Rodgers. Bo Nix broke his ankle late in the 2025 season, and Rodgers could be a logical option for one of the top contenders in the AFC. 

Beat writer Mark Kaboly spoke about this on Kaboly + Mack, and he believes a deal for Rodgers in Pittsburgh is almost done, and all other rumors are incorrect.

"I can't even describe to you how much of an almost done deal this is," Kaboly said. "There's a lot of misinformation out there, one would be that he would go to Denver. Nothing makes sense to me on that one. The $30 million is just, none of this has been talked about. Does he want a raise? Probably, but none of this has been talked about whatsoever. There is no $30 million on the table. They are anticipating a little bit of a bump in his salary."

Kaboly completely shut down the report that the Broncos could be interested in bringing in Rodgers. He doesn't believe it would make sense for either side. Rodgers wouldn't want to go somewhere he could end up being a backup, and Denver shouldn't want to mess anything up with Nix, who has looked like a franchise quarterback up until this point. That was one of the recent rumors that Kaboly had to shut down, with the other being supposed contract demands from Rodgers.

Former Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch has been doubling down on the idea that Rodgers could be demanding $30 million to come back for the 2026 season. Batch has been adamant that this is the case, but Kaboly and others have doubted this notion. Rodgers played for just $13.65 million in 2025, and he said he would have played for $10 million. It would be bizarre if he changed his tune in such a drastic way.

He did outperform his contract from the 2025 season. There is no question about that, and Kaboly suggested that some sort of raise is going to be coming his way. It could be a pay bump of a couple million bucks, or the Steelers could bump him up to a flat rate of $20 million for the 2026 season, or something like that. The quarterback also had team-based incentives in his 2025 deal. Maybe this time, incentives will revolve around his individual performance.

Steelers Fans May Welcome Aaron Rodgers Going To Denver

A ton of fans in Pittsburgh are completely fed up with the saga of waiting for a decision from Rodgers. Many believe the Steelers are too good of an organization to be going about the quarterback position this way, which is a fair assessment of the situation. However, he is certainly the best option at quarterback for the Steelers in 2026, so the organization needs him.

What do you think about Kaboly saying this is basically a done deal? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!

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