Rodgers, 42, will spend time in Pittsburgh after signing a one-year deal and return to the Steelers before organized team activities begin.
PITTSBURGH — It took a long time for Aaron Rodgers to decide to return for a 22nd season. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has already made his decision regarding Game 23: There will be no Game 23.
“That’s it,” Rodgers said Wednesday when the four-time NFL MVP was asked if this was his last year.
The 42-year-old, in his first public comments since signing a one-year contract with the Steelers on Monday, did not elaborate on why he came to that conclusion.
Instead, Rodgers is leaning toward the present, including his reunion with first-year Steelers coach Mike McCarthy. The two spent 13 seasons together in Green Bay early in their careers, and Rodgers pointed to the hiring of McCarthy to replace Mike Tomlin as a major factor in his decision to return for one last time.
“It’s been like a series of ‘pinch me’ moments that have happened over the past few days,” he said after the second day of a volunteer-organized team event in Pittsburgh.
McCarthy and Rodgers, who won a Super Bowl together in Green Bay after the 2010 season, stayed in frequent contact throughout the winter and spring as Rodgers weighed whether he wanted to put his body through the rigors of a 17-game season.
Rodgers eventually agreed, hoping for the rarest of exits: one that he could decide to quit on his own terms.
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