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Nobody tells Aaron Rodgers he’s done. That much is clear. At 42, he walked back into Pittsburgh this offseason — back to the same building, the same locker room, the same AFC North grind — and agreed to another one-year deal worth up to $25 million. The Steelers just won their first division title since 2020 behind him. And yet the contract is a one-year bridge, not a multi-year commitment, and everyone in the Steel City knows exactly what that means: we believe in you enough to keep going, but not enough to bet the next three years on your knees holding up until past your 45th birthday.
But despite the Steelers winning the AFC North with the veteran four-time MVP under center last season, online betting sites are somewhat pessimistic about their hopes of retaining the divisional crown. The latest odds from 7signs online sportsbook make A-Rod and Co. a distant +550 outside to repeat as Kings of the North next season, with both the Baltimore Ravens (-120) and the Cincinnati Bengals (+200) considered more likely rulers of the division.
With Rodgers’ return for one last crack at the Lombardi now confirmed, who does he join as the oldest starting quarterbacks in the NFL in 2026? Let’s take a look.
Aaron Rodgers — 42
Let’s be honest about what Aaron Rodgers is right now: a fringe-top-20 quarterback draped in Hall of Fame pedigree, playing for a franchise that respects him enough to bring him back but not enough to pretend this is anything other than a last stand. Four MVP awards. A Super Bowl ring. A career resume that would look just as imposing in Canton as it does on a press release. But Canton is somewhere in the distance, and Pittsburgh is right now — and right now the Steelers need to know if the arm, the timing, and the decision-making can survive another full 17-game grind.
His 2025 season answered part of that question. Rodgers completed 65.7% of his passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions — a 94.8 passer rating that was his cleanest efficiency mark in years. He wasn’t spectacular. He didn’t need to be. He managed the offense, protected the ball, and made the plays that mattered most while the Ravens and Bengals both imploded. Now, with Mike Tomlin gone, can he replicate that success?
Mike McCarthy is now on the sideline in Pittsburgh, which matters. The two were a cornerstone in Green Bay for the better part of 12 years. Rodgers has the trust of his head coach despite his advancing years, and that could well be enough to squeeze the last drop of greatness out of him before he sails off into the sunset.
Matthew Stafford — 38
Forty-two is dramatic. Thirty-eight, for Matthew Stafford, looks almost unremarkable — which is its own kind of achievement. The Rams ran a 12-5 regular season behind him in 2025, watched him pile up a monstrous 4,707 yards, 46 touchdowns, and only 8 interceptions against a 109.2 passer rating — a performance that left no doubt as to who the MVP in the NFL truly was. More heroics followed in the postseason as he led the Rams to thrilling wins on the road against both the Carolina Panthers and Chicago Bears, but the Seattle Seahawks would once again prove insurmountable, defeating Stafford and Co. in the NFC Championship game before going on to claim the Lombardi all for themselves.
Despite Stafford now being 38, the bookies make the Rams the clear favorites to win Super Bowl LXI next February. Much like in 2022, their SoFi Stadium home will host the Big Game, and we all remember what happened then. Will the veteran gunslinger’s last dance yield yet more glory on home turf? If 2025 is anything to go by, he still has plenty of gas left in the tank.
Kirk Cousins — 37
Here’s what Kirk Cousins’ brand-new Las Vegas Raiders contract actually says, underneath the football language: we need a placeholder who won’t embarrass us while Fernando Mendoza figures out how to read an NFL defense. Cousins is more than capable of doing exactly that on his day — a polished, professional pocket passer who runs a clean offense and rarely beats himself. In Minnesota, he regularly delivered the goods, clearing 4,200 yards in four of his five fully fit seasons as a Viking.
That’s valuable. That’s also not what Las Vegas is building toward.
His two-year stint in Atlanta was a disaster, with the drafting of Michael Penix Jr. just weeks after Cousins penned a two year $120m, setting the tone for what was to come. Kirko Chainz lost his starting berth midway through his debut year before being thrust back into the limelight in 2025 after Penix went down with an injury and proving that he still had what it took to marshal the offence.
He’ll start Week 1. Probably Week 8. Maybe Week 17. But the leash exists, and Mendoza — the number one overall pick of the 2026 NFL Draft and Las Vegas’ clear long-term answer — is watching every snap. How short is Cousins’ leash? Short enough that a three-game losing streak could accelerate that timeline faster than anyone in the building will admit publicly.
