Rodgers hits practice field after finalizing return to Steelers

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers has spent two-plus decades keeping everyone off balance.

From opponents to teammates to reporters and everyone in between.

The start of his 22nd season was no different.

The 42-year-old four-time NFL MVP made a surprise appearance on the Pittsburgh Steelers practice field Monday for the start of voluntary organized team activities, jogging out in a white No. 8 jersey shortly after finalizing a 1-year deal to return to the club he guided to an AFC North championship last winter.

Linebacker Payton Wilson admitted he was a little “shocked” when he ran into Rodgers outside the team’s facility. Wilson called it “awesome” to have Rodgers back while only somewhat jokingly admitting his presence will make it “a lot harder” on the defense during OTA drills designed to be more of a refresher than a true test.

Wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr., acquired in an offseason trade with Indianapolis, worked out with Rodgers once while Rodgers was still weighing his options. Pittman hoped Rodgers would run it back one more time, but knew better than to get ahead of himself.

“I had a good feeling about it, but you never know,” Pittman said. “I mean, Aaron’s gonna do what Aaron wants to do, right?”

Asked if his throwing session with the future Hall of Famer tipped the scales for Rodgers to come back, Pittman laughed.

“I’d like to say yes, but probably not,” he said, later adding, “Hopefully it had some little effect on him.”

Who knows? Rodgers remains, as always, a bit of an enigma who keeps his cards very close to the vest.

“He’s a mysterious guy,” outside linebacker Alex Highsmith said.

Rodgers said near the end of last season he would decide in “due course” while cagily not hinting at any sort of deadline. The Steelers expressed optimism that he would reach a decision before the start of free agency, then kept moving the goalposts back as the weeks came and went without Rodgers offering any firm answer one way or the other.

The lines of communication remained open during the process, with first-year Steelers coach Mike McCarthy — who spent more than a decade alongside Rodgers in Green Bay, winning a Super Bowl in the process — making it clear to Rodgers that he was open to a reunion in Pittsburgh.

Rodgers returned to Western Pennsylvania recently and was spotted grabbing some ice cream with several Steelers at a popular shop in the northern suburbs last Friday. Months of “will he or won’t he” speculation on social media, sports talk radio, and just about everywhere else finally ended with the news on Saturday evening that caught most of the guys he shares the locker room with off guard.

Offensive tackle Troy Fautanu found out on Instagram. Pittman saw it while scanning X.

“He never told me anything,” Pittman said with a laugh.

There’s plenty of time to catch up now anyway. Rodgers return means the Steelers have effectively kicked the can down the road on the search for their next franchise quarterback for at least another season.

Having Rodgers in the fold means rookie Drew Allar and second-year quarterback Will Howard will get to spend the year learning from one of the greats who will enter the Hall of Fame five years after he retires, whenever that may be.

It won’t be in 2026, as Rodgers opted to give it another chance after throwing for 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions during his first season in Pittsburgh. He leaned into playing for a team whose football roots run deep, much as he did in Green Bay, and now he’ll be back to try and help the Steelers end a playoff victory drought that is nearing a decade old.

Rather than wait until mandatory minicamp — as he did a year ago — Rodgers’ early arrival indicates a sense of urgency for a franchise where the standard remains the same even as it transitions from Mike Tomlin to McCarthy.

And while it was just football in shorts in the middle of May, Pittman saw enough to know immediately that Rodgers is all-in and remains elite, even as he nears his mid-40s.

“Even the first day, he made a couple of great throws,” Pittman said. “And I was like, ‘Wow, I’m really playing with Aaron.”

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