After 21 seasons, it might be it for one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history.
Aaron Rodgers played 18 years for the Green Bay Packers, where he won a Super Bowl and will one day have a statue himself, most likely outside Lambeau Field. The green and yellow jersey will be what he is remembered for when he is a first ballot Hall of Famer and walks into Canton.
He then spent two years in purgatory, also known as the New York Jets. His lasting image will be the opening first seconds of him in a Jets uniform, running out onto the field with the American flag to open the campaign, before suffering a season-ending injury only minutes later.
And finally, Pittsburgh. A tough, gritty team in a tough, gritty season, where Rodgers’ bluntness fit like a glove. It was where he showed that, even at 42, he might not be as good as he was with the Packers, but he was nowhere as bad as he was last season with the Jets.
While Pittsburgh would like him back for another year, Monday’s loss at home to the Texans might be it for the 10-time Pro Bowler, who will be weighing his retirement in the coming days and weeks.
It was a season that wasn’t always the best, with the Steelers almost chucking away what seemed like a gifted AFC North crown, only to win it when the Ravens’ rookie kicker missed a 44-yard field goal to end the regular season. But Rodgers seemed to love his time with the Steelers, as teammates discussed the nights they would hang out together, going over game film and bonding.
Rodgers hasn’t always been the most personable, yet his gruff exterior and outspokenness have been staples of the NFL for over two decades. Regardless of how many times the Texans slammed into the cold dirt on Monday in what turned out to be a rock fight between two offenses that could never get fully going, Rodgers always got up and continued on.
In the fourth quarter, down four, Rodgers dropped back on a third-and-long. He reared his arm back and looked downfield, ready to pull off magic one more time.
Instead, two Houston defenders collapsed on him, crushing the 42-year-old on the ground and making him look his age, scooping up the loose ball and rumbling half the field to the opposing endzone for a touchdown to effectively put the game out of reach.
He got up, but there was no comeback to be had in Pittsburgh on the night.
The question now is whether he will hang up the cleats for good or continue down Tom Brady’s path, who didn’t call it quits until he was 45. When it comes to Aaron Rodgers, anything is possible.