In 2005, the Pittsburgh Steelers rallied around Jerome Bettis and won a Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit. Entering 2026, Bettis thinks the Steelers will rally around another teammate in his final season. Aaron Rodgers announced that 2026 will be his final season after re-signing with the Steelers. Bettis told Adam Schein he believes Rodgers’ final season will energize the Steelers.
“That’s motivation, right? It’s motivation for him, but it’s also motivation for his teammates. They wanna make sure they get the best out of him and the best opportunity because they all know, hey, this is it. This is our last opportunity with Aaron Rodgers and the great player that he is and has been. So there’s gonna be some energy there that not a lot of people are thinking about or expecting that I expect to see these guys come out and play,” Bettis said via The New York Post Sports YouTube channel.
Knowing this is Rodgers’s last season could certainly give the Steelers extra motivation. They’re a veteran team hungry for their first playoff win since 2016, and sending Rodgers out on a high note could add even more juice.
Rodgers has received rave reviews as a teammate since signing with the Steelers last season. The consensus among players was that they wanted him back this season. Knowing he’ll retire after 2026, players might want to help him add one final run to his legacy.
Rodgers led the Steelers to the postseason last year, but they exited with a whimper, losing 30-6 in the Wild Card Round to the Houston Texans. It led to Mike Tomlin stepping down, and another early playoff exit left a sour taste in fans’ mouths. Knowing that any potential postseason game could be Rodgers’ last may give the Steelers extra motivation if they make the playoffs.
There’s enough motivation for the Steelers beyond it being Rodgers’ final season. Cam Heyward is nearing the end of his career, and T.J. Watt has never won a playoff game since the Steelers drafted him. But any added motivation can only be good, and it certainly tracks that the Steelers could rally around Rodgers.