Options vary for veteran QBs Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo and Russell Wilson
Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo and Russell Wilson are still unsigned for the 2026 season. The 42-year-old Rodgers can return to Pittsburgh and play for new coach Mike McCarthy if he doesn’t choose to retire. Steelers owner Art Rooney II told reporters Sunday he expects a decision from the four-time NFL MVP before the NFL draft next month.
PHOENIX (AP) — Aaron Rodgers, Kirk Cousins, Jimmy Garoppolo and Russell Wilson are still unsigned for the 2026 season. Options vary for the four accomplished veteran quarterbacks. The 42-year-old Rodgers can return to Pittsburgh and play for new coach Mike McCarthy if he doesn’t choose to retire.
Steelers owner Art Rooney II told reporters Sunday he expects a decision from the four-time NFL MVP before the NFL draft next month. Cousins finished last season strong, leading Atlanta to four straight wins down the stretch but the Falcons still missed the playoffs and coach Raheem Morris lost his job. The 37-year-old Cousins threw for 876 yards in those four games with seven touchdowns, two interceptions and had a 93.
6 passer rating. Overall, he was 5-3 as a starter after opening the season backing up Michael Penix Jr. The Falcons hired coach Kevin Stefanski, signed Tua Tagovailoa and released Cousins, who will likely have to settle for a backup role somewhere unless another starter is injured in the offseason.
He could end up in Pittsburgh if Rodgers retires and the Steelers want to turn to another veteran QB after going from Wilson in 2024 to Rodgers in 2025. Stefanski said Tagovailoa and Penix will compete for the starting job in Atlanta. Penix, a first-round pick in 2024, is coming off surgery last November to repair a torn ACL and it's uncertain when he'll be ready to go.