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Aaron Rodgers walked out of what may be his final postgame press conference after being asked a second straight question about Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin.
The Steelers were beaten 30-6 by the Houston Texans in the AFC Wild Card game Monday night at Acrisure Field. The disappointment of the loss called into question Tomlin’s job security, which has come up during games this season.
Rodgers, 42, spoke at length in support of not only Tomlin, but also his former head coach from his time with the Green Bay Packers, Matt LaFleur.
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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin walks off the field with Aaron Rodgers (8) of the Pittsburgh Steelers after a 29-24 win against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The game took place in Detroit, Michigan on December 21, 2025. (Nic Antaya/Getty Images)
“I think this league has changed a lot in my 21 years. You know when you hear conversations about the Mike Tomlins of the world, the Matt LaFleurs of the world, those are just two of the coaches that I’ve played for. And when I first came into the league, there would be no talk of whether those guys were on the hot seat,” Rodgers told reporters after the game.
“But the way the league is covered now and the way there are snap decisions and the validity given to the Twitter pundits and all the pundits on TV now that make it look like they know what the hell they’re talking about. To me, it’s an absolute joke. And for either of those two guys to be on the hot seat is really a relationship to where we are as a community and a community.”
“Because obviously Matt has done a lot of great things in Green Bay and we had a lot of success. Mike T has had more success than damn near anybody in the league for the last 19-20 years. And more than that, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don’t think about making a change. But there’s a lot of pressure that comes from time to time from the outside, and of course it doesn’t come from time to time, but of course it doesn’t come from time to time. how I wanted to do things and not how the league used to be.”
AARON RODGERS RETIREMENT INTRIGUE BEGINS AFTER PLAYOFF LOSS
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers speaks during a news conference after an NFL wild-card playoff football game against the Houston Texans. The press conference took place in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 12, 2026. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
Rodgers was then asked another question about what he learned from Tomlin this season.
“I’ve answered that a number of times. I’ve talked at length about how I feel about Mike, and I just did that in that f—ing answer. Thank you,” Rodgers said as he rose from the podium and walked out of the press conference.
The Steelers’ playoff loss was their seventh straight in the postseason. The seven-game losing streak under Tomlin tied an NFL record for the longest playoff losing streak in league history by a head coach. Former Cincinnati Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis is the second coach with seven consecutive playoff losses.
Rodgers said he would not let the outcome of the game determine his playing future.
“I’m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers said. “I’m disappointed. It was such a fun year. Obviously, a lot of adversity, but a lot of fun.”
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Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin looks on during the second quarter against the Cleveland Browns at Huntington Bank Field. The game took place in Cleveland, Ohio on December 28, 2025. (Ken Blaze/Imagn Images)
The four-time NFL MVP said he wants to get away and have the right conversations before making a decision about his playing future.
In his outstanding career, Rodgers threw for 66,274 passing yards and 527 passing touchdowns in 264 games. He compiled 163 regular-season wins in 257 starts at quarterback.
Rodgers spent 18 seasons with the Packers, two with the New York Jets and one with the Steelers.
