Not only did the Pittsburgh Steelers enjoy their trip to Dublin, Ireland for Week 4’s international game, but they secured a big-time victory in the process. By taking down the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Mike Tomlin’s crew got to 3-1 heading into the bye week.
Perhaps the most interesting development from the game, however, is what happened right after the action unfolded.
Walking off the field alongside defensive lineman Cameron Heyward, quarterback Aaron Rodgers seemed quite thrilled about the prospect of returning to Croke Park.
“Thank you for showing up today — we love you,” Rodgers said. “We wish we could come back. Next year!”
“We wish we could come back… next year”
Next year 👀👀👀
Did Aaron Rodgers Drop Hint About Potential Return to Steelers in 2026?
Naturally, Rodgers’ comments are leading the football world to speculate. What did the future Hall of Fame man mean? Does he hope the Steelers find their way back to Dublin for a future game? Does he want to be a part of that future team? Could he simply want to visit the city in his post-playing days?
It’s this writer’s take that it’s likely the former. Speaking to the media following the contest, Rodgers addressed the significance of a win for the Rooney family and the organization. Rodgers seemed to thoroughly enjoy the process and wants Pittsburgh to earn another opportunity to play an International Series game.
“Me personally, I’m a little older, so I appreciate the history,” Rodgers said. “There were a lot of us that wanted to win it a little bit more for the family, knowing how much affection they have for this area. I enjoyed that talk last night from Coach T. Again, I really enjoyed everything that we experienced here. It was a short trip, but from the moment we landed, the security guys over at the Carlton House were hilarious. The Guinness was good in downtown Dublin. It will be a nice flight back with hopefully a yearly return by us or two other teams.”
Rodgers made it perfectly clear in the days leading up to the game that he wanted to enjoy as much time in Dublin as possible. It seemed like less of a hint for what’s to come for him and more of a vote of confidence for a historic franchise to come back to a historic site.
Then again, decoding his messages is so much easier said than done. Only his game-related comments from Sunday can be taken at face value.
Rodgers Comments on State of Career Following Pittsburgh’s Win
It’s only natural to wonder, though. Just months away from his 42nd birthday, Rodgers is playing better football than he has as of late.
Nothing Rodgers showed in his final year with the Green Bay Packers or his main season with the New York Jets reflected someone who had high-level football in the tank. Last season was solid, yet entirely unspectacular. Is Rodgers back to playing at MVP caliber in Pittsburgh? Of course not, but his 102.6 passer rating is his best since the last time he won the award.
In the aftermath of Week 4, the 21-year veteran reflected on his football mortality.
“Yeah, it’s the twilight of my career,” Rodgers said. “I wouldn’t say back end. I used to say five, six, seven years ago I was on the back nine. I’m teeing off on 18 right now.”
Since signing with the Steelers, Rodgers has commented on his future several times. In a June edition of “The Pat McAfee Show,” he emphasized that he was “pretty sure” this season would be his last. In August, he didn’t completely shut the door on returning for 2026 when wideout DK Metcalf pitched the idea.
At the end of the day, only Rodgers knows what he’ll actually end up doing. Part of it could be impacted by how the rest of Pittsburgh’s season goes, which is the beauty of life in the NFL.
Right now, the vibes are clearly high.
Did Aaron Rodgers’ Steelers Future Get a New Twist in Week 4?