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Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers may be openly admitting that he’ll be a one-and-done with the team, but that hasn’t stopped him from seemingly trying to exert his influence on the front office.
Earlier this summer, the controversial future Hall of Fame quarterback signed a one-year, $13.65 million contract with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and later confirmed to Pat McAfee that he plans on retiring after this year.
With his deal and future plans now secure, Rodgers has seemingly turned his attention to his teammate T.J. Watt’s contract negotiations. Watt, one of the elite defensive players of his generation, is entering the final year of his deal with the team.
Speaking on The Pat McAfee Show, Rodgers intimated that getting Watt signed as soon as possible would be key for the success of the team.
“And once we get our Hall of Fame outside rush backer signed, you’re talking about another guy who’s a leader, not just by his example, but by his words,” Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show earlier this week.
If there’s one thing we know about Rodgers, it’s that he, at the very least, makes it try to seem like everything he says is intentional. By commenting on Watt’s contract, he may believe he’s exerting a bit of pressure on the front office to get the deal done.
For example, during that same appearance on The Pat McAfee Show — one of ESPN’s highest-profile nationally televised programs — Rodgers said, without an ounce of irony, that he does not want attention.
Because the NFL script writers rarely miss, Rodgers and the Steelers will be opening up their 2025/26 campaign with a trip to MetLife Stadium to take on the New York Jets, the team which Aaron Rodgers’ dark cloud loomed over for the past two seasons.
If we know anything about New York/New Jersey fans, Rodgers likely isn’t in for a warm welcome.