If you were wondering if the 2025 season will be it for Aaron Rodgers' legendary career, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback just gave us his answer. When asked specifically about '25 being his final NFL season, Rodgers was crystal clear: this is his last hurrah.
Rodgers joined The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday when he addressed this sensitive topic.
“I’m pretty sure this is it. That’s why we just did the one-year deal. Steelers didn't need to put any extra years on that or anything," Rodgers said on The Pat McAfee Show. "This is really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I've had. I mean, I’ve played twenty freakin' years. It's been a long run and I've enjoyed it. There’s no better place to finish than in one of the cornerstone franchises of the NFL with Mike Tomlin and the great group of leadership and great guys in a city that expects you to win.”
This is it. One season with Aaron Rodgers on the Pittsburgh Steelers; one season remaining in the NFL. That's all we're getting... and quite honestly, it's what we all expected.
The Pittsburgh Steelers need to start preparing for life after Aaron Rodgers
Aaron Rodgers is 41 years old and will turn 42 late in the 2025 season. He's already defied 'Father Time' and lasted longer than most NFL quarterbacks could dream of. Ben Roethlisberger, for example, played his final NFL season at 39 years old in 2021, and it was clear that his arm and mobility were both shot by that stage of his career.
Now that Rodgers openly expressed that 2025 will be his final NFL season, the Pittsburgh Steelers need to start looking ahead at a long-term answer at the quarterback position—something they likely would have done even if Rodgers said he wanted to play in 2026.
Right now, the focus is on the upcoming season. In addition to having the league's oldest quarterback, vocal defensive leader Cam Heyward is 36 years old, and All-Pro edge rusher T.J. Watt will turn 31 in October. The time to pounce is now.
At the same time, the front office doesn't want to fall victim to the same traps Kevin Colbert found himself in late in Roethlisberger's tenure. Outside of winning a seventh Super Bowl, the ultimate goal needs to be finding the next future franchise quarterback.
Aaron Rodgers just set the clock, and the Pittsburgh Steelers can now count down the days until the four-time MVP and future Hall of Famer puts a stamp on his legendary two-decade NFL career.