Aaron Rodgers Says Farewell

Written by: Sitara Nair

Beloved American professional football quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently announced his planned retirement after this season. Rodgers is regarded as one of the greatest passers in NFL history, and his absence from football will definitely be felt by the community. Let’s learn a little about this newly announced retirement, as well as the history of Rodgers’ career. 

Aaron Rodgers was born in Chico, California, and began playing American football in eighth grade, despite his father’s concerns about his son's risk of injury. After playing for a while, he didn’t go to Division 1 like most NFL players, but instead started his career at a small community college (also known as a junior college) before transferring to UC Berkeley. He played with UC Berkeley’s Golden Bears from 2003-2004, and had quite a success. In his two seasons, he threw for 5,469 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He even set the school record for the lowest career interception percentage (at 1.95%) and declared for the NFL draft after his junior year. After his incredible work with California’s Golden Bears, Rodgers was able to bypass his senior year at UCB and enter the 2005 NFL Draft. Though he was beloved, Rodgers famously fell to the 24th pick in the first round, where he was selected by the Green Bay Packers. He wasn’t immediately the starter, though; he waited behind Brett Favre for three years before making it. 

Then in 2008, he was a superstar leading the Packers to a 31-25 victory over the (highly anticipated winners) Pittsburgh Steelers in Super Bowl XLV! He became dedicated to his craft, and the community could see it. He claimed four NFL MVP awards (2011, 2014, 2020, 2021). He threw for 59,055 yards and 475 touchdowns over these 18 years, becoming a leading passer. Then, in 2023, Rodgers was traded to the New York Jets, but his season ended prematurely after a devastating torn Achilles tendon injury. However, he did return for the 2024 campaign, starting all 17 games ans passing for 3.8K yards and 28 touchdowns, a mighty comeback after a lost season. Finally, in 2025 Rodgers signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers and started 16 games, leading the team to the playoffs and finishing with 3,322 passing yards and 24 touchdowns. Tied with Lamar Jackson for the highest career passer rating in NFL history at 102.6, Rodgers’ legacy is nothing short of incredible. He holds the best career touchdown-to-interception ratio (4.28). Additionally, over his legendary career, he compiled over (66,000) passing yards and threw more than 500 passing touchdowns!

After an incredible career, Rodgers has announced that the 2026 NFL season will be the final year of his football career. At 42 years old, Rodgers delivered a clear, definitive message during a media session at Organized Team Activities, answering “Yes. This is it,” when asked about retirement. Currently, Rodgers signed a one-year contract (which is actually worth up to $25 million) with the Pittsburgh Steelers, so this 2026 season is acting as a farewell tour for the athlete. It is also heartwarming to note that his decision to return and play his 22nd season was heavily influenced by the Steelers bringing in head coach Mike McCarthy, under whom Rodgers played in Green Bay for over a decade. 

Overall, without Rodgers, the community will definitely feel an impact. The four-time MVP has worked hard for the past two decades, described as a cerebral, highly competitive perfectionist on the field. He deeply loves and understands the game, and that is really shown in his highlights and his ability to make such impossible throws as a quarterback. What do you think might be next for Aaron Rodgers post-retirement?