Defensive lineman Cameron Heyward is taking a different approach to quarterback Aaron Rodgers’s prolonged free agency this offseason.
On Friday, Heyward delivered a message through the media to Rodgers, urging the signal-caller to come back to the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2026 NFL season.
“He’s worn the black and gold,” Heyward said on NFL Network’s The Rich Eisen Show. “Just return, baby. That’s all we need.
“I think he had a fun time being a part of this crew and we really enjoyed his company, but I’d like to be able to run it back with him.”
The Steelers are waiting on Rodgers to decide whether or not he wants to play in 2026. The quarterback turned 42 years old in December.
During his first season with the Steelers in 2025, Rodgers completed 65.7% of his passes for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also averaged 6.7 yards per attempt while leading the Steelers to a 10-6 record in 16 games.
Pittsburgh won the AFC North for the first time since 2020.
Cameron Heyward Urges Aaron Rodgers to Return to Steelers in 2026
GettyPittsburgh Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward delivered a clear message to quarterback Aaron Rodgers while appearing on The Rich Eisen Show on Friday.
Obviously, Rodgers isn’t a long-term solution for the Steelers. But turning 37 in May, Heyward isn’t much younger than Rodgers.
If Heyward wants to quickly improve upon the 3-10 postseason record the Steelers own since he joined the team, Rodgers is probably the best hope.
NFL pundits expressed early in the offseason that Rodgers would make a decision on his playing status quicker than last year. The quarterback didn’t sign with the Steelers until June 5 in 2025.
There are still several weeks until June. But it’s not clear when Rodgers will make his decision.
At the NFL’s annual league meeting, team president Art Rooney II told reporters Rodgers would decide before the draft. But with the draft days away, that doesn’t appear to be happening.
Steelers Waiting on Rodgers 2026 Decision
GettyQuarterback Aaron Rodgers has yet to make his final 2026 NFL season this offseason.
Other Steelers starters such as Jaylen Warren, Patrick Queen and Michael Pittman Jr. have made recent media appearances and commented on Rodgers’s status.
All of them delivered a similar sentiment — they want Rodgers back but have confidence in the other quarterbacks on the roster.
To Eisen, Heyward leaned more into the idea the Steelers are 100% invested in Rodgers.
“I think everybody is all in on him. From what we got to see this season, we were pleasantly surprised how great he was,” Heyward told Eisen. “Coming off of being with the Jets, to him just being a breath of fresh air with how he went about his business, was accountable, held others accountable, loves the game, and just studies his a** off. I haven’t seen many guys to that level of just knowing the insides and outs of football. Whether it was Ben [Roethlisberger] or him, those two, they just operate on a different scale.”
Those comments differed quite a bit from what Heyward said last year on Rodgers.
“I ain’t doing that darkness retreat. I don’t need any of that crap. Either you want to be a Pittsburgh Steeler or you don’t,” said Heyward on his podcast in March 2025. “That’s simple, that’s the pitch.
“If you want me to recruit, that’s the recruiting pitch. Pittsburgh Steelers. If you want to be part of it, so be it. If you don’t, no skin off my back.”
Heyward apologized publicly to Rodgers for those remarks. Eisen, though, still teased the defensive lineman about his 2025 comments on the quarterback’s free agency Friday.
Steelers’ Cameron Heyward Fires Clear Message to QB Aaron Rodgers