Aaron Rodgers has confirmed that he is ready to bow out of his NFL career with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
The quarterback signed a one-year, $13.65million deal with the Steelers earlier this month after yet another offseason of speculation over his NFL future.
And the 41-year-old admitted that he expects the upcoming season to be his final in the league.
‘I’m pretty sure this is it,’ he confessed when pressed on the prospect of retiring at the end of the 2025 season during Tuesday’s episode of the Pat McAfee Show.
‘That’s why we just did a one-year deal. [The] Steelers didn’t need to put any extra years on that. This was really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career I’ve had. I’ve played 20 frickin’ years, you know? It’s been a long run and I’ve enjoyed it. What better place to finish it than in one of the cornerstone franchises of the NFL with Mike Tomlin and a great group of leadership and great guys.’
Rodgers agreed to play his 21st season with the Steelers this month on a deal, that reportedly includes $10million guaranteed, following yet another offseason in NFL limbo following his split from the New York Jets.
Aaron Rodgers has confirmed that he is ready to bow out of his NFL career with the Steelers
The quarterback signed a one-year, $13.65million deal with the Steelers earlier this month
After leaving New York, Rodgers had been linked with city rivals the Giants and the Minnesota Vikings as well as the Steelers.
It quickly became clear that Pittsburgh was the only realistic option on the table for him, before he jetted to Pennsylvania for talks with Mike Tomlin.
However, Rodgers still took his time before committing to the Steelers before admitting to Joe Rogan last month that tragedy in his personal life, with multiple members of his inner circle said to be battling cancer, had forced him to put his decision on hold.
‘I wanted to be all in and I had so many other things going on in my life that were taking my mind and my energy elsewhere and that’s why I appreciated how Mike was the entire time,’ he added to McAfee and co. ‘Just being able to have those honest conversations every single week was really meaningful to me. The way that I was welcomed in was really cool.’
Rodgers’ retirement revelation also comes just weeks after he dropped a shock marriage bombshell during his first Steelers training, telling reporters that he tied the knot ‘a couple of months’ ago.
The identity of the four-time MVP’s new wife is currently a mystery, with Rodgers previously divulging to McAfee in December that he was in a relationship with a woman named ‘Brittani’, and that she did not have any social media.
In the weeks since, his family is said to have been questioning whether the quarterback had actually gotten married.
And now Rodgers suggested that beyond the NFL season not only will fans not see him on the field, they won’t see him at all as he vowed to keep his private life just that – private.
Rodgers shocked the media in Pittsburgh by revealing that he tied the knot this year
‘I didn’t need this. I didn’t need this at all,’ Rodgers said of his return to football for one more year. ‘I didn’t feel the need to prove anything at all to anybody or have a chip on my shoulder that I need to hold on to. I don’t want the attention.
‘When this is all done, you won’t see me. I won’t be in the public. I don’t want a public life. That’s why it’s so strange what’s going on now with my private life, because I don’t want to live a life in the public eye. I’m not going to be in the public eye. When this is done, I’m done. You won’t see me, and I’m looking forward to that.
‘But while I’m in it for this year, I’m going to give you everything I’ve got, empty the tank and be super comfortable and satisfied with whatever happens.’
Rodgers is best known for the 18 seasons he spent with the Green Bay Packers, where he won the Super Bowl in 2011.
However, he failed to hit his stride in a miserable two-year tenure with the Jets and eventually split with the team on March 12.
More to follow.
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