This is it for Aaron Rodgers. The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has made it clear the 2026 NFL season will be his final one, a decision that apparently has the blessing of his wife.
Rodgers spoke to reporters on July 28 as he got set to open his 22nd and final training camp. The future Hall of Famer insisted he’s at peace with the decision to call it quits, saying he flirted with the decision a year ago.
“I thought last year might be it, and then Mike (McCarthy) got hired, and I talked to the wife, and she said ‘You can do one more year,'” Rodgers told reporters during his press conference at the start of camp. “I said, well, we’ll see if it works out, and it all kind of came together.”
Aaron Rodgers Says There’s ‘Zero Debate’ This Is Final Season
As for whether there’s any sort of limbo or the potential for Rodgers to change his mind, the four-time NFL MVP got right to the point on that topic — or lack thereof.
“No. Zero debate,” he said when asked whether he might change his mind. “Zero.”
Rodgers did acknowledge it feels different this season than it did a year ago when he thought he might be entering his final season. But maybe not the way you’d expect.
“Last year, it felt way more dramatic to me,” Rodgers added. “Like it’s my last arrival to training camp, and this year, it doesn’t feel anything. I’m just happy to be out here with the guys and see some of the faces I haven’t seen in a while.”
Among those faces is McCarthy, with whom Rodgers will reunite after the QB-coach duo spent more than a decade together in Green Bay.
After two disastrous years with the New York Jets, Rodgers had a slight bounce-back in his first campaign with the Steelers. The 42-year-old completed 65.7% of his passes — right in line with his career mark — and threw for more than 3,300 yards with 24 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. Good, not great for someone of Rodgers’ stature, but certainly enough to be competitive. The Steelers won the division before a beat-up Rodgers struggled against a vaunted Houston defense en route to a 30-6 home loss in the wild-card round.
Aaron Rodgers’ Personal Life Remains Slightly Mysterious
As for what the future holds for Rodgers away from the football field, that remains a mystery that doesn’t seem any closer to being solved. The notoriously private Rodgers has kept the latest chapter of his love life under wraps. Rodgers revealed he married a woman named Brittani early in 2025, but that’s all fans really know about her at this point.
However, Rodgers did share that he has apparently landed in a much better place with his immediate family. There has been no shortage of headlines and speculation about his complicated relationship with his parents and brothers over the years. However, Rodgers reconnected with his father, Ed, at a golf tournament a few years back.
That apparently built the bridge for even more reconciliation and reconnection, as Rodgers recently shared photos on Instagram of him spending time with his family.
“Another bonding week,” he wrote in the caption with “#fam” included, too.
Aaron Rodgers Reveals Wife’s Influence on Retirement Decision