While Aaron Rodgers took several months to contemplate his NFL future once the 2024 campaign came to a close, it's hard to imagine that there were too many people who actually believed the four-time NFL MVP would opt for retirement, not with the way his two-year tenure with the New York Jets went down.
You know, just like he went down four plays into that first season with Gang Green. Sorry, but that's just still far too easy to pass up. But I digress.
Given his competitive nature, the longtime Green Bay Packers' signal-caller was never going to go out like that. And while Rodgers may not have taken the Brett Favre career path that he seemingly wanted so desperately to emulate after the Minnesota Vikings chose to hand their future to young J.J. McCarthy, he still got himself a pretty good gig, signing a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
And if what Rodgers told Pat McAfee on Tuesday is to be believed, that will likely be the last contract he ever signs.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure this is it," said Rodgers. "That's why we just did a one-year deal. Steelers didn't need to put any extra years on that or anything, so this was really about finishing with a lot of love and fun and peace for the career that I've had."
"I played 20 fricking years. It's been the long run. I've enjoyed it, and no better place to finish than in one of the cornerstone franchises of the NFL with Mike Tomlin and a great group of leadership and great guys in the city that expects you to win."
If this 2025 season is truly it for Rodgers, he'll at least get one crack at each of his former teams.
Aaron Rodgers gets one shot against the Packers on his way out the door
Assuming he remains healthy through training camp and the preseason, Rodgers will kick off his first and apparently only season with the Steelers back at MetLife Stadium in a Week 1 showdown with the Jets.
New York, of course, replaced Rodgers under center with Justin Fields, who spent last season with Pittsburgh after playing the first three years of his career with the Chicago Bears. So, there are several storylines to follow there.
But it's obviously Week 8 that Cheeseheads have circled on their calendars, as the Packers will visit the Steel City on October 26 for a Sunday Night Football matchup that will likely be the only one the franchise ever gets against Rodgers, who is Green Bay's all-time leader in touchdown passes (475), completion percentage (65.3) and passer rating (103.6) and ranks second behind only Favre in passing yards (59,055) and completions (5,001).
A second showdown is possible, but the setting there would have to be in Santa Clara for Super Bowl 60. Yes, we're aware of the odds on that, but could you imagine Aaron Rodgers playing his former team in his home state at the stadium of the team he wanted to draft him two decades ago?
How'd that be for a swan song?