Why Steelers used right-of-first-refusal on Aaron Rodgers, and what it means for retirement plans

Why Steelers used right-of-first-refusal on Aaron Rodgers, and what it means for retirement plans originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Pittsburgh Steelers don't want to let Aaron Rodgers play for anyone else.

That was already pretty clear, but they've made it certain with their latest procedure, a right-of-first-refusal contract maneuver.

This is how ESPN's Adam Schefter describes the setup in a post on X:

"The Steelers placed the rare right-of-first-refusal tender on Aaron Rodgers, meaning that he can accept a 10 percent raise off last year’s salary, which would pay him about $15 million this season, and the Steelers also now will have the right to match any offer sheet he would sign with another team."

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Why did the Steelers do this?

This is a one-sided measure. Rodgers likely wouldn't have been involved in this procedure.

The Steelers simply are ensuring that if Rodgers plays, he almost certainly won't play elsewhere. Technically, another team could offer Rodgers a humongous contract that the Steelers decide not to match, but that's not a realistic scenario.

This also essentially acts as a contract offer to Rodgers for the aforementioned $15 million for the 2026 season.

It's conceptually a way for the Steelers to try and accelerate the timeline of knowing whether Rodgers is playing for them in the season ahead, but he doesn't actually have to make a decision any faster.