Recapping Aaron Rodgers’ decision to retire after this NFL season
USAT’s Chris Bumbaca talks about the recent news that Aaron Rodgers will not return to the NFL after this season, calling it a career after 22 years.
Sports Pulse
Pittsburgh Steelers fans can thank Aaron Rodgers’ wife for convincing him to stick around one more year.
During his first media availability session at Steelers training camp on Tuesday, July 28, Rodgers told members of the media that he considered retiring after last season. It was only after Pittsburgh hired new head coach Mike McCarthy and with Rodgers’ wife’s approval that the veteran decided he could lace up the cleats for one more year.
“I thought last year might be it,” Rodgers said. “And then Mike [McCarthy] got hired, and I talked to the wife and she said, ‘You can do one more year.’
“I said, ‘Well, let’s see if it works out.’ And then it kind of all came together.”
Rodgers, 42, signed a one-year extension with the Steelers in May to guarantee he’d play his 22nd season in the NFL. At the time, he said that he plans to retire after the 2026 season.
“This is it,” he said then.
Rodgers doubled down on that sentiment as he returned to training camp on July 28. One reporter asked whether the veteran was debating playing another season after this year.
Said Rodgers: “No. Zero debate.”
Rodgers’ statement that he thought 2025 would be his last season is not news. Last June, the veteran quarterback told ESPN’s “Pat McAfee Show” that he was “pretty sure” the 2025 season would be his final year in the NFL.
“That’s why we just did a one-year deal,” Rodgers said at the time. “Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on that or anything. This was really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I’ve had. I mean, I’ve played freaking 20 years, you know? It’s been a long run, and I’ve enjoyed it.”
But immediately after the Steelers’ wild-card round loss to the Houston Texans in January, Rodgers declined to comment on his retirement plan.
“I’m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers said in January. “Disappointed, you know, obviously. Such a fun year, a lot of adversity, but a lot of fun.”
Rodgers started 16 of the Steelers’ 17 games last year – he missed out on playing the Chicago Bears because of a hand injury – in his 21st season in the NFL. His efforts helped lead Pittsburgh to a 10-7 record and a division title in 2025 before another early playoff exit.
The four-time NFL MVP also was among the quarterbacks with the shortest average depth of target (ADOT) in 2025. His ADOT of 6.6 yards was the lowest of any quarterback with at least 200 pass attempts and also marked the lowest of his career, per Pro Football Focus.
The veteran quarterback did not throw nearly as many passes 10-plus yards downfield as he did close to – and often behind – the line of scrimmage in 2025.