New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers throws during a game against the Steelers in Pittsburgh on Oct. 20. (AP file photo)

PITTSBURGH (AP) — Aaron Rodgers and Mike Tomlin are taking their bromance to the next level.

The four-time NFL MVP ended months of “will he or won’t he” speculation by informing Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers he plans to join the team for the 2025 season, a person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on Thursday. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because Rodgers has not yet signed a contract.

The Steelers and the 41-year-old Rodgers had been circling each other for months. Rodgers even visited the team’s facility in late March, driving in undercover in a nondescript sedan wearing a hat and sunglasses.

While there were plenty of nice words from both sides in the aftermath, Rodgers didn’t rush to put pen to paper, telling “The Pat McAfee Show” in April that his attention was focused on helping people in his inner circle who were “battling some difficult stuff” and that he didn’t want to decide until he knew he could fully commit.

With mandatory minicamp coming next week, Rodgers apparently finds himself in a place where he can give the Steelers his full attention.

Rodgers joins a team that has been stuck in a transitional period at quarterback since Ben Roethlisberger retired after the 2021 season. Either Rodgers or Mason Rudolph — who returned to Pittsburgh on a two-year deal in March — will likely be Pittsburgh’s fifth different Week 1 quarterback in as many seasons.

The Steelers have stayed competitive, up to a point anyway, amid the constant churn at the most important position on the field. Pittsburgh has reached the playoffs four times in the last five seasons, only to be quickly escorted out of the postseason in lopsided fashion each time.

Justin Fields and Russell Wilson — who combined to lead the Steelers to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth last season — ended up in New York. Fields will replace Rodgers with the Jets after agreeing to a two-year deal. Wilson is heading to the Giants on a one-year contract.

Those deals left Rodgers and the Steelers without any other reasonable options. Both sides have their reasons for consummating what is essentially a marriage of convenience.

Rodgers hopes to author a happier ending to his Hall of Fame career after two eventful, if underwhelming, seasons with the Jets. While Rodgers is hardly a long-term solution in Pittsburgh, he is the best option left after the Steelers chose not to use one of their higher picks in April’s draft on a quarterback, instead taking a late-round flyer on former Ohio State star Will Howard.

The union brings Rodgers and Tomlin — the longest-tenured head coach in major professional North American sports — together after years of what is the football equivalent of flirting.

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AP Pro Football Writer Rob Maaddi contributed to this report.

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