“He Was Washed” – Aaron Rodgers Returning to Steelers at 42 Doesn’t Sit Well with Skip Bayless

Skip Bayless believes that the Steelers made a mistake by bringing an ageing Aaron Rodgers back for another year.

“He Was Washed” – Aaron Rodgers Returning to Steelers at 42 Doesn’t Sit Well with Skip Bayless

Aaron Rodgers and Skip Bayless inside the circle (Image via IMAGO/X)

In Short
  • Skip Bayless criticized the Pittsburgh Steelers for re-signing Aaron Rodgers, calling him "washed" after a poor playoff performance.
  • Rodgers agreed to a one-year contract extension with the Steelers worth up to $25 million, with $22 million guaranteed.
  • Mike Tomlin stepped down as head coach following the Steelers' playoff loss, and Mike McCarthy was appointed as his replacement.

Skip Bayless doubled down on his previous takes about Aaron Rodgers running it back with the Pittsburgh Steelers for one more year after the veteran quarterback agreed to a one-year deal. Bayless feels the Steelers made a mistake by highlighting the wildcard round defeat to the Houston Texans.

Steelers fall back into the Arron Rodgers trap. He was washed his final season in Green Bay. That again was painfully obvious in Pittsburgh’s 30-6 home playoff loss.

Skip Bayless tweeted

The Steelers played the Houston Texans in the wildcard round after finishing the regular season with a 10-7 record. Houston’s defense sacked Rodgers four times, fumbled twice, and lost possession once. Rodgers finished with just 146 passing yards and a pick-six as his final meaningful contribution in the game. Pittsburgh lost 30-6.

Following the defeat, Mike Tomlin stepped down as head coach after failing to end the Steelers’ decade-long playoff drought. Shortly after, the Steelers appointed Mike McCarthy as their new coach. McCarthy and Rodgers won a Super Bowl together with the Green Bay Packers. But Bayless did not like the idea of a reunion in Pittsburgh.

MIKE MCCARTHY (and maybe what’s left of Aaron Rodgers) WILL NOT WORK IN PITTSBURGH.

Bayless tweeted in January

The Steelers waited for Rodgers to give a proper answer about his future. McCarthy revealed that he has been communicating with the 42-year-old. Bayless on The Arena Gridiron Show claimed that Rodgers was holding the Steelers hostage with his behavior.

This is a very sad story to me that the Steelers are being held hostage by Rodgers, because they did this to themselves. They found themselves in a position with no more Mike Tomlin, which is going to be a problem. He is washed. He’s done, and he’s been done since his final year in Green Bay.

Bayless said in April

The following week, the Steelers added to their quarterback room, which already contained Mason Rudolph and Will Howard. In the third round of the 2026 draft, Pittsburgh selected Penn State’s Drew Allar. Despite that, Bayless predicted the Steelers would bring Rodgers back.

The Steelers placed a tender on Rodgers. It gave them the first right to offer him a new contract if he decided to continue his career. On Saturday, May 16, Adam Schefter of ESPN and Steelers insider Gerry Dulac announced that Rodgers agreed to a one-year contract extension with the AFC North franchise.

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Aaron Rodgers contract details

The last time the football fraternity heard from Rodgers was when he made a brief appearance on the Pat McAfee Show right after the Super Bowl. He went completely radio silent, and nobody knew his whereabouts.

"He Was Washed" - Aaron Rodgers Returning to Steelers at 42 Doesn't Sit Well With Skip Bayless
Aaron Rodgers (Image via IMAGO)

Last week, the members of The Fan Morning Show revealed that Rodgers was spotted in Pittsburgh, but he did not visit the Steelers’ facility. General manager Omar Khan claimed he had no update on Rodgers.

On May 15, an account named Brogey412 uploaded a couple of videos that showed Rodgers meeting his Steelers teammates Ben Skowronek, Pat Freiermuth, and Mason Rudolph somewhere in Pittsburgh. Two days later, the deal was announced.

As per Dulac, Rodgers will earn $25 million in 2026.

SOURCES: Aaron Rodgers has finally agreed on a one-year deal worth up to $25 million with $22 million guaranteed to return to the Steelers. Rodgers is expected to be with the team when offseason training activities begin Monday.

Dulac tweeted

Rodgers is already one of the highest-earning NFL players of all time. He has earned more cash from his NFL contracts than Tom Brady. Then again, Brady took less money so that the management could build a solid team to win Super Bowls. And he did. Brady won seven before hanging up his boots, while Rodgers is stuck on one.

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