Aaron Rodgers didn’t dance around the question. When asked Tuesday if the 2025 season would be his last, the Pittsburgh Steelersquarterback kept it simple.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is it,”Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show.“That’s why we just did a one-year deal.”
It’s a straightforward answer from a player whose career has rarely followed a straight path. Rodgers, now 41, signed with Pittsburgh earlier this month on a one-year contract worth up to $19.5 million. The deal includes $10 million guaranteed-money the Steelers are hoping buys them one last run from one of the game’s all-time greats.
For Rodgers, the 2025 season feels less like a new beginning and more like a deliberate final act. It starts with a bang, too: Week 1 pits the Steelers against the New York Jets, the team that released Rodgers in March after a short but dramatic tenure.
A Season Full of Goodbyes
Rodgers described his Jets exit as rocky, pointing to an awkward meeting with new coach Aaron Glenn and GM Darren Mougey. “Wasn’t my best exit,” he admitted. “But it gave me clarity.”
That clarity led him to Pittsburgh, where he’s expected to start ahead of Kenny Pickett. It’s a high-stakes bet by the Steelers-leaning on veteran leadership, championship experience, and a still-sharp football mind to lead a deep playoff run.
The nostalgia doesn’t stop in New York. In Week 8, Rodgers will face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football-his first meeting with the team that drafted him in 2005 and defined nearly two decades of his career.
Rodgers Faces Packers, Closes the Loop on 21-Year Journey
Rodgers still holds most of Green Bay’s major passing records: 475 touchdowns, a 103.6 passer rating, and nearly 60,000 passing yards. But his focus now is what’s ahead-not what’s behind.
“This isn’t about waving goodbye every week,”Rodgers said. “I’m here to compete. I want this season to mean something.”
And if it’s truly the last one? “I’m at peace,” he added. “I’ve given everything I had to this game.”
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