Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has declared that next season will be his last dance in the NFL, and the four-time MVP is set to disappear from the public eye entirely after hanging up his cleats.
Rodgers inked a one-year, $13.6 million contract with the Steelers in June, opting to continue donning the No. 8 jersey. The former New York Jets and Green Bay Packers star acknowledged that personal reasons played a part in his delayed decision to join the Steelers.
Looking forward to a singular year with the Steelers, Rodgers expressed certainty that 2025 will mark the end of his NFL journey. Known for his regular spots on ‘The Pat McAfee Show’ and his high-profile presence, Rodgers has resolved to step away from the limelight post-retirement.
“I don’t want the attention – I know that’s a narrative out there,” Rodgers said to Pat McAfee. “When this is all done, it’s Keyser Soze. You won’t see me. I won’t be in the public. I don’t want to live a public life.
“That’s why it’s so strange, what’s going on right now in my private life, because I don’t want to live a life in the public eye. I’m not gonna be in the public eye. When this is done, I’m done. You won’t see me, and I’m looking forward to that.”
Rodgers, no stranger to public attention, expressed distress over the overwhelming spotlight throughout his 20-year career.
“It’s a sick society, isn’t it? I lived in the public eye for 20 years, I had public relationships,” he began. “How did that work out? I had people leaking my home information and making up stories that we bought a house together. I had people calling the paparazzi, I had people posting my personal life on the internet. I didn’t want any of that, didn’t like any of that.
“Now I’m with somebody who’s private, who doesn’t want to be in the public eye, didn’t sign up to be a celebrity, doesn’t want to be a part of it. And because I do things in private because I want my personal life to be private, now I’m weird.”
Concluding his heated commentary, Rodgers stated firmly: “I’m with somebody who wants to be private, and if and when she wants to be out and there’s a picture, she’ll choose that. And she deserves the right to that, but the entitlement to information about my private life is so f—— ridiculous and embarrassing.”
Until his retirement comes into play, Rodgers remains dedicated to delivering an exceptional season with Pittsburgh and afterward plans to step away from the limelight. “I can come back to Pittsburgh, play for Mike, get to know the organization, be a part of a special franchise that’s had such incredible success,” he expressed.
“Be able to play and follow in the footsteps of Terry Bradshaw and Franco Harris and Lynn Swan and Jack Lambert, you know, Mean Joe Greene. And then all the guys that played in the ’90s and 2000s: Jerome Bettis, Big Ben [Roethlisberger], all-time greats.
“Just to be a guy that can put on the same uniform is pretty special to me, and that’s all I need this year, just to go out there and have a chance to compete. That’s why I’m working so hard, cause I want to put myself in a position to play 20 games this year, and 20 great ones.”
