Days before he plays against the Green Bay Packers for the first time in his decorated career, Aaron Rodgers made it clear he'll retire as a member of the dark green and gold when that day comes.
Rodgers, currently donning the black and gold as the Pittsburgh Steelers' starting quarterback, said this past summer he's "pretty sure" 2025 will be his final season and if it indeed is, he plans on ceremoniously leaving the game as a Packer.
"I was there for 18 years," Rodgers said of his time in Green Bay, via ESPN's Rob Demovsky. "Regardless of when I hang it up, that's the bulk of my career. I'll retire a Packer and see what happens after that. I've got a lot of love for the organization [and] my time there. They asked this week is it a revenge game or whatever. What do I got to be avenging here? They made me a ton of money. I grew up there, spent some of the best years of my life there. I've got nothing but love for the organization."
The Steelers are Rodgers' third career team and he's playing in his 21st NFL season. Following 18 years with Green Bay, he was traded to the New York Jets, where he technically played two seasons, though the 2023 campaign saw him tear his Achilles in the season opener. He signed with the Steelers ahead of this year and has thus far helped Pittsburgh to a 4-2 record, having completed 68.6% of his passes for 1,270 yards, 14 touchdowns and five interceptions.
However, there's no denying his glory days were with Green Bay, where he won a Super Bowl, went to 10 Pro Bowls and was voted AP NFL Most Valuable Player four times.
When Rodgers was traded from the Packers to the Jets, it had hardly been all puppies and rainbows toward the end of the union, but the 41-year-old has been adamant that Sunday is no revenge game for him.
Thus, though it might be surprising Rodgers would point out his retirement plan now, it's hardly startling that he wants to say farewell as a Packer.
He was the 24th overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, taken by Green Bay to begin a surefire, first-ballot Hall of Fame career. Fittingly, no matter how successful his final run could be with the Steelers, he wants to end his career where it all began.
"It was such a tight-knit group for so long there," said Rodgers of playing in Green Bay from 2005-2022. "I outlasted most of them, but it's fun, that's why I feel so good about my time there because damn near everything great in my life is because of my football career, and my football career starts and will end one day with Green Bay. I've got a lot of love for those memories and a lot of great friends that I still carry with me to this day."
