Instead of facing a young quarterback in his first career start, the Atlanta Falcons now have to slow down future Hall of Fame QB Aaron Rodgers in Week 1. Now that the 2026 schedule has been released, the Falcons are headed to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers, who just made a major move at the most important position in sports.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the four-time MVP agreed to terms on a one-year deal worth up to $25 million to return to the Steelers after another incredibly drawn-out saga. And as weird as it sounds, facing Rodgers gives Kevin Stefanski's squad the best chance to begin 2026 with a 1-0 start.
The 42-year-old is entering Year 22 of his NFL career, and he's already lost a step in terms of the player he was even a half-decade ago. He was the league MVP in 2020 and 2021, so rather than being the Charizard he once was, he's nothing more than a Charmander at this stage of his career.
Falcons have their best chance to win in Week 1 against Aaron Rodgers
For a second there it looked like Rodgers wouldn't be returning, but ultimately, this months-long offseason saga ended in an inevitable reunion with Mike McCarthy. He was supposed to be in their facility (and sign) last weekend, which never happened, so he signed before their OTAs start Monday.
So instead of Jeff Ulbrich's defense facing Will Howard or third-round rookie Drew Allar in their season opener, one of the greatest signal-callers to ever walk the earth will get the call. You'd think the Dirty Birds would be quaking, but with how Rodgers looked in 2025, fans are roaring with laughter.
Because of his track record, he continues to punk teams into taking a chance on him much like his predecessor Brett Favre did at the tail end of his career. Trading for him set the New York Jets back years, while the Steelers only kept him for 2026 because they replaced Mike Tomlin with McCarthy.
At least it didn't take an ayahuasca-fueled vision quest to get him to put pen to paper this time, but this guy needs to retire already. Pittsburgh lucked their way into an AFC North title in 2025 and their roster isn't good enough to warrant giving the 10-time Pro Bowler another shot to extend his career.
Once again the Steelers are settling for medicority rather than committing to a full rebuild with Allar or Howard, which is good news for the Falcons. They have never won on the road in Pittsburgh, but against a statue of a quarterback whose best days are firmly behind him, this game is very winnable.
The QB battle of Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa isn't going to set the world on fire, even with Penix nearing a return, but this Falcons' roster is significantly more talented--and that's before you consider the fossil the Steelers are bracing to start at quarterback in this game.
Since leaving Green Bay, Rodgers hasn't been the same player. 2026 A-Rod is basically the NFL version of Celtics Shaq, so even though he's back with McCarthy, this young Atlanta defense should help Stefanski get his first win with the Falcons against a player (and team) he's very familiar with.
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