The Pittsburgh Steelers took quite a risk this offseason when they signed Aaron Rodgers. At 41 years old, it was unclear what level Rodgers could still play at. He has seemingly been declining over the last few years. But he isn’t washed-up yet, at least not based on his week 1 play. Rodgers fueled the Steelers to victory over the New York Jets, getting a win in his first game with them. Earlier this year, Rodgers hinted that the 2025 season would be his last. Analyst Jonathan Jones, though, isn’t convinced of Rodgers’ retirement after seeing the quarterback play in Week 1.
“That did not like an Aaron Rodgers who, if this continues, if they keep playing well, and let’s say some typical Pittsburgh sadness happens in January, make the playoffs, don’t make it to the AFC title game,” Jones said recently on the With the First Pick podcast. “Remember how everybody took his comment on [The Pat McAfee Show] that he said, ‘Probably this is my last year.’
“You think this is gonna be his last year? Did that look like a guy who the wheels were falling off? Maybe they will in December, but I don’t necessarily believe that this is Aaron Rodgers’ last year.”
It’s important to note that Rodgers eventually walked back those initial comments about retirement. While his initial comments sounded more certain regarding retirement, he recently clarified that he isn’t totally committed to that plan.
That makes sense, though. At his age, Rodgers will likely consider retirement every offseason until he does actually hang his cleats up. He considered walking away this offseason. Depending on how things go with the Steelers, Rodgers could decide to leave the NFL. His case for the Pro Football Hall of Fame case is complete.
However, there are plenty of factors that could convince Rodgers to keep playing. The scenario that Jones lays out is one of them. If Rodgers continues to play as well as he did in Week 1, but the Steelers fall short in the playoffs, the two sides could decide to run it back in 2026.
Even if the Steelers do win a playoff game, that doesn’t guarantee that Rodgers will retire. He could still feel like he has gas left in the tank. The Steelers, though, have plenty of games left this year. It’s a little early to speculate on what Rodgers could do in 2026. There’s no telling if he’ll even be able to repeat his Week 1 performance. For now, he and the Steelers are focused on this season.
