The Pittsburgh Steelers have made a headline-grabbing move by signing veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers to a one-year, $13.6 million contract for the 2025 NFL season. The deal includes $10 million guaranteed, with incentives that could push the total to $19.5 million. It’s a short-term commitment, but one that could carry major long-term implications.
At 41 years old, Rodgers brings everything you’d want in a stopgap starter—experience, leadership, and still enough arm talent to manage an offense. The four-time MVP and Super Bowl champ will now lead a quarterback room that includes Mason Rudolph, rookie Will Howard, and Skylar Thompson. Rodgers is expected to start, but it’s clear the Steelers are setting up for the future just as much as the present.
That future might just include Arch Manning.
As Rodgers gets settled in Pittsburgh, talk is already building around what the franchise’s next move might be after this season. Arch, currently a sophomore at the University of Texas, remains one of the most closely watched quarterback prospects in the country. With elite mechanics, a famous football lineage, and rising college production, he’s shaping up to be a potential top pick in 2026.
If the Steelers underperform in 2025 or fall short of a playoff run, they could be in a prime position to target Manning in the draft. It wouldn’t be the first time a veteran legend paved the way for a young star—but this time, it could be part of the plan from the start.
Rodgers’ presence gives Pittsburgh instant credibility and helps take pressure off the rest of the roster. But if the front office has its eye on the next decade, this one-year deal might be about more than just this season.
It might be about handing the future to a Manning. And Rodgers, as always, is more than capable of playing the role of bridge—with style.