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The next logical question on everyone’s mind after Aaron Rodgers agreed to return for another NFL season last week is: Would he continue to decide on a year-to-year basis how long he would play, or would this be his last year?
Well, we have an answer from Rodgers himself.
“Yes,” Rodgers told reporters Wednesday when asked if he’s retiring after this year.
“It is, yes.”
AARON RODGERS TO START 22ND NFL SEASON WITH PITTSBURGH STEELERS
So Rodgers intends to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in his 22nd season and call it a career after that.
Now comes the part where some people will think it’s a good thing, a fitting end, because Rodgers is 42 years old and will be 43 in December, and obviously old enough to know his own mind and how much he has left in the proverbial tank.
Some people will think that’s terrible, because what if he’s really good this season? What if he surprises himself? What are we going to do without Aaron Rodgers quarterbacksplaining to his teammates exactly how to run the plays they may or may not have practiced the previous week?
And some people won’t believe a word Rodgers says.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks on after being sacked in the first half of the NFL Wild Card game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Jan. 12, 2026. (Michael Longo/For USA Today Network-PA/USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Because he’s been known to change his mind before.
He has been known to play with words before.
He has been known to be somewhat difficult to predict both on and off the field.
All that is at stake.
But assuming Rodgers actually has a plan to play one more season and then fade into private life — as he’s promised he would in the past — it has to be said that whatever happens this coming season, his legacy is pretty much already written.
Aaron Rodgers is a Super Bowl champion and four-time NFL MVP. Only Peyton Manning, with five MVP awards, has won more.
And yes, Rodgers still has a chance to tie him if he pans out this season.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks to complete a pass during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Oct. 12, 2025. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
Aaron Rodgers currently ranks:
- Fourth all-time in passing touchdowns with 527.
- Fifth all-time in passing yards with 66,274.
- And he is 11th all-time with just over 5,696 career completions.
Only Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Manning have thrown more TD passes than Rodgers. Rodgers can eclipse Manning’s TD mark of 539 this season and finish third on the all-time list. Brady (649) and Brees (571) are probably out of reach in the TD pass category.
Only Brady, Brees, Manning and Brett Favre have more career passing yards than Rodgers, who has 66,275. He would have to have an improbable monster season to catch Manning, who finished with 71,838 yards.
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The point is, Rodgers has eye-popping stats that place him among the elite quarterbacks to ever play the game. He is a certain future Hall of Famer.
Will he be considered among the all-time greats? That is another question.
It’s not an answer that always relies on statistics, but rather includes opinion and number of Super Bowls won and how the fickle media felt about a player.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers can be heard during the second half of an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium on Jan. 12, 2026. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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The thinking here is that Rodgers won’t worry much about it.
He knows who he is, how he played, and apparently when he walks away.
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