Rodgers marks first day with Steelers by revealing secret wedding

New Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has revealed he had a secret wedding earlier this year.

The NFL's four-time Most Valuable Player spent months contemplating his future before deciding to sign a one-year deal with the Steelers.

Rodgers signed his contract on Saturday and in a picture posted by the team on social media,, external he had a black band on his wedding ring finger.

The 41-year-old held a news conference on Tuesday after spending his first day training with the Steelers and one of the last questions was about the ring.

"Yeah, it's a wedding ring," said Rodgers.

Asked how long he's been married, he added: "It's been a couple of months."

Rodgers was released after a disappointing second season with the New York Jets, becoming a free agent for the first time in his 20-year career.

He had visited the Steelers and reportedly received an offer from the New York Giants, but in April, Rodgers said that he was "open to anything", including retirement.

The 2011 Super Bowl winner previously said that he delayed his decision because of personal reasons and, earlier in Tuesday's news conference, he said: "I was dealing with a lot of things in my personal life.

"Some things improved a little bit, where I felt like I could fully be all in here with the guys.

"I didn't want to short-change the guys and be signed but be elsewhere mentally or physically. Until I could be here and be all in, I needed to take care of my business."

Rodgers, who spent the first 18 years of his career with the Green Bay Packers, has had a number of high-profile partners during his NFL career.

But he has not been married previously and did not share any further information about his wife on Tuesday.

Speaking to The Pat McAfee Show in December, he said he had a girlfriend named Brittani while discussing Christmas shopping.

When one of the co-hosts joked about whether it was singer Britney Spears, Rodgers replied: "Not Britney Spears, no. This is Brittani with an 'i'."

Speaking to Pat McAfee again in April, Rodgers added that he is "in a serious relationship".

"I have off-the-field stuff going on that requires my attention," he added.

"I have personal commitments I made, not knowing what my future was going to look like after last year, that are important to me."

It now seems that one of those commitments was a wedding, perhaps even a honeymoon too.

After visiting the Steelers, Rodgers has said that he remained in regular contact with head coach Mike Tomlin before informing him of his decision.

The 53-year-old is the NFL's longest-serving current head coach having been in charge at Pittsburgh since 2007.

He led the franchise to a sixth Super Bowl win in 2009, before losing the big game to Rodgers' Packers in 2011, and the Steelers have not had a losing record in Tomlin's 18 seasons in charge.

Asked why he chose Pittsburgh, Rodgers said: "It starts with Mike Tomlin. I've been a fan of his for a long time.

"The rapport that fell in between me and Mike made it to where, as I was going through my personal stuff, that there wasn't any other option for me. It was here or not play [retire]."

Only Peyton Manning (five) has been named the NFL MVP more times than Rodgers, yet a second Super Bowl win has eluded him.

Asked what a Super Bowl win with Pittsburgh would mean, Rodgers said: "It'd mean a seventh championship for the city. That'd be great.

"I have a lot that motivates me, but this is about the love for the game - a game that has given me so much over the years - and making peace with a nice, long career."