It’s been a confusing run for Aaron Rodgers since he departed Green Bay to play for the Jets and now, the Steelers. Entering a new year, has his jumbled journey in the NFL finally reached its conclusion?
By Matthew Serocki | May 25, 2026
Every off-season, a few stories dominate media coverage. The Super Bowl teams usually get some spotlight as they competed in the last game on fans’ minds. When a big name is traded or signs with a different team, it’s usually news all season.
One nagging angle that’s absorbed time, air, and space from fans and analysts in each of the last five years so much that it’s become nauseating involves the whims of Aaron Rodgers.
Rodgers had long been one of the best players in the NFL, but only won a single Super Bowl. He’d made four other Conference Championship games, but always fell short of making another big game.
When Green Bay drafted Jordan Love, it seemed history would come back around to Rodgers. The California product was drafted while Brett Favre still led the Packers, and he was forced to sit for nearly three years. Favre left for division rival Minnesota while Rodgers picked up where he left off.
The rest, they say, was history, but once Rodgers was in the role of aging veteran, the story started to sour. Even in his final years with Green Bay, each off-season was marred by the “will he/won’t he” saga of if he’d retire or return.
Instead of hanging up his boots after playing his entire career for one squad, the former NFL MVP followed Favre again after his trade to the New York Jets in 2023. It ended 18 years and four MVP awards with the Cheeseheads.
Despite the hype and excitement for his move to the perennially terrible Jets, Rodgers tore his left Achilles tendon just a few snaps into his first game with New York. Gone was the hype, but what followed was an annual drudge of whether or not he was finally retiring.
Since things didn’t end the way anyone would want in his first season in the Big Apple, he made a full recovery and played in 2024. His numbers didn’t match his MVP-level of play, but were still among the top 15 signal callers. Rodgers finished 2024 with 3,897 yards passing, 28 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, and a quarterback rating of 90.5.
For most younger performers, those numbers would be close to career bests. For a guy who won four MVPs, however, it was a step back. Part of the issue was it was the Jets, but he was throwing passes to Davante Adams and Garrett Wilson.
Once the writing was on the wall with a messy ending in New York, speculation again took over in the off-season. Was 2024 Rodgers’ final season in the NFL? Or is he coming back? The former Packer certainly liked the attention, but played it off as if he’d make the league wait until nearly June for his decision.
He came back but traveled to Pittsburgh, leading the Steelers to an ugly 10-7 record and NFC North crown in 2025. The record was more of an indictment of Baltimore and Cincinnati, as both teams kept finding ways to lose.
Again, the numbers would have been better than average for most middle-of-the-pack signal callers, but for Rodgers, they were another step backwards. In 16 games, Rodgers finished with 3,322 yards through the air, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
His rating was better than his last year with New York, but didn’t inspire faith that the experiment was worth the trouble. After a first-round exit against the visiting Houston Texans last season, the soap opera kicked into high gear yet again.
Would Rodgers love all the attention and wait to announce he’d return, or would he stem the tide and make a quick decision? Just like previous years, Rodgers waited until May, or after the NFL Draft, to make his decision.
Playing for former Green Bay head coach Mike McCarthy could have factored into his choice to come back, as it was with McCarthy that Rodgers played the best ball of his career. He re-signed with Pittsburgh on a one-year deal for $25 million.
He also stated that 2026 would be the final year of his career. If he sticks true to his word, the annual off-season soap opera has seen its last cliffhanger. Pittsburgh has always needed a quarterback of the future ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired.
Rodgers wasn’t that guy, and the Steelers picked Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the third round of the 2026 Draft. They’re planning for life beyond Rodgers, and he’s spent the best days of his life grabbing attention each off-season.
The one glaring issue, however, is if the Steelers are one of the best teams in the league and make a deep playoff run. Will Rodgers postpone the wedding another year for more glory, or will he finally bow out gracefully so that he, his team, and everyone else can move on?
Like most soap operas, his 2026 season will likely consist of many head-scratching moments and comments, as well as dramatic moments each week. Having to endure yet another wedding for the same soap opera character, however, would be the eye roll fans don’t need in the 2027 off-season.
Matt Serocki is a freelance journalist based outside of Boston, Massachusetts. He’s been an avid NFL and MLB fan for over 35 years, and his favorite teams are the New England Patriots, San Francisco 49ers, Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics, and Washington Commanders. Matt also writes about professional wrestling for Sportskeeda.
