Aaron Rodgers is back for another go with the Pittsburgh Steelers, and it's looking like this will be the final year of his decorated NFL career. At least that's what Rodgers is saying early on.
If that ends up being the case and the 42-year-old quarterback does hang up the cleats when the season is over, there's a lot for him to be proud of. He's a Super Bowl champion, a four-time MVP winner, and has made so many crazy plays and been a part of some wild moments during his 22-year career in the pros.
With that said, there's one thing Rodgers hasn't accomplished in his career. Freddie Boston of Lombardi Ave, FanSided's site dedicated to all things Green Bay Packers, had no problem pointing it out.
"Rodgers has beaten 31 franchises in the NFL, including his current team. The only club he has never defeated? The Packers. He had an opportunity last season," Boston wrote. "And in that moment, Rodgers missed an opportunity to join an elite club... Favre. Tom Brady. Peyton Manning. Drew Brees. They are the only quarterbacks in NFL history to defeat all 32 franchises."
Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers will likely retire without having beaten the Packers
Ouch. But hey, Boston isn't telling any lies here. Rodgers had a chance to beat his former team last year while wearing the Steelers' black and yellow, but failed to do so. He even had a lead at the half, a lead that the Steelers defense would squander, and the offense failed to recapture.
It's tough for any quarterback to beat as many teams as Rodgers has in his career, so that's still a major accomplishment. That being said, the Packers being the one team that he couldn't take down is probably something that will bother him. Clearly not enough, as he's said 2026 will be his final year, and that means he's giving up the chance to try one more time to beat them.
Sure, the Steelers and Packers could hypothetically meet in the Super Bowl as they have before, but the chances of that happening seem rather slim. The Steelers haven't won a playoff game in a decade, and the Packers also haven't come close to sniffing the Super Bowl during the Jordan Love era, so we can mark that potential Super Bowl matchup as unlikely.
It's hard to blame Rodgers too much for being ready to call it a career. He'll turn 43 years old in December, and he's not the same player he once was. Eventually, everyone has to ride off into the retirement sunset at some point, and Rodgers isn't immune to that. Unfortunately for him, however, he'll have to ride into that sunset knowing that there was one giant he wasn't able to slay.
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