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The next logical question on everyone’s mind after Aaron Rodgers agreed to return for another season in the NFL last week is: Will he continue to decide from year to year 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 would retire after this year.
“That’s it, yeah.”
AARON RODGERS READY TO START 22ND NFL SEASON WITH THE PITTSBURGH STEELERS
So, Rodgers intends to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers in his 22nd season and call it a career afterward.
Now comes the time when some people will think this is a good thing, a fitting end because Rodgers is 42 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 will think that’s terrible, because what if he was really good this season? What if he surprised himself? What are we going to do without Aaron Rodgers strategist to his teammates, how exactly do you run plays that they may or may not have practiced the week before?
And some people, well, won’t believe a word Rodgers says.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks on after being sacked during the first half of the NFL Wild Card game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on January 12, 2026. (Michael Longo/For USA Today Network-PA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)
Because he’s already known to change his mind.
He is already known for playing with words.
He is known for being difficult to predict, on and off the field.
This is all at stake.
But assuming Rodgers does indeed intend to play one more season and then fade away into private life – as he has promised to do in the past – it must be said that no matter what happens this coming season, his legacy is 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 match him if he succeeds this season.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks to complete a pass during the first quarter at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania on October 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 could eclipse Manning’s mark of 539 TDs this season and finish third on the all-time list. Brady (649) and Brees (571) are probably out of reach in the TD passing category.
Only Brady, Brees, Manning and Brett Favre have more career passing yards than Rodgers, who has 66,275. He would need to have an improbable monster season to catch Manning who finished with 71,838 passing yards.
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The fact is, Rodgers has eye-popping stats that place him among the elite quarterbacks to ever play this game. He is a certain future Hall of Famer.
Will he be considered among the greatest of all time? That’s another question.
This is not an answer that always relies on statistics, but rather includes opinion and the number of Super Bowls won and what the fickle media thinks of a player.
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is heard during the second half of an AFC Wild Card Round game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium on January 12, 2026. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
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The idea here is that Rodgers won’t care much.
He knows who he is, how he played and apparently when he’s leaving.
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