Aaron Rodgers ‘ talents and personality aren’t run-of-the-mill. The Pittsburgh Steelers ’ 42-year-old quarterback let it be known on Wednesday that he intends on this being his final NFL season, and the man who bristles at being a news story suddenly became the center of the football world.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio believes the announcement — which, to be fair, was in response to a question directly asking if Rodgers feels that this will be his last hurrah — is a curious one.
“It’s an unusual move for franchise quarterbacks,” Florio wrote Thursday . “ Tom Brady didn’t do it. Peyton Manning didn’t, either. Drew Brees didn’t. Matt Ryan didn’t. Philip Rivers didn’t. Ben Roethlisberger privately told others that 2021 would be his final season.”
“Rogers is the only quarterback in recent memory to do a 2014 Derek Jeter-style retirement tour. And that’s Rodgers’s prerogative. But it could become a distraction for him and the team, especially in December.”
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers at OTAs on May 18, 2026. — Ed Thompson / Steelers Now
Rodgers, who quite literally has a Netflix documentary series with the word “enigma” in its title, has always marched to the beat of his own drum, even if it meant drawing out a decision to play for the Steelers again until this week.
As of now, the Steelers have seven games that won’t be played at 1 p.m. on a Sunday afternoon. With Rodgers revealing his future plans — meaning fans only get to see him in primetime so many more times — Mike McCarthy’s team could be a candidate for more down the line.
“It also could make the Steelers a magnet for late-season flexing decisions; if no specific game stands out in a given prime-time slot, showcasing Rodgers becomes an obvious choice,” Florio said.
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now : Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers Straying From Beaten Path By Revealing Retirement Plans
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