Did Aaron Rodgers leak retirement decision before Steelers' loss to Texans?

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers wasn't ready to confirm or deny that he will retire when he spoke with reporters shortly after his team's 30-6 wild-card playoff loss to the Houston Texans on Monday night. 

Late in the ESPN broadcast of what became a laugher, sideline reporter Lisa Salters shared that Rodgers offered a hint back in December of what he likely will decide regarding his future.

Aaron Rodgers already felt like "this is the end?"

"We asked him a few weeks ago when we were here Week 15," Salters said about a chat that occurred during Pittsburgh's "Monday Night Football" win over the Miami Dolphins, per Alex Kozora of Steelers Depot. "We asked him, 'Is this it?' He said, 'Probably.' That's what he's been saying all year. He said the team has been great. He doesn't know what the Steelers' plans are for the future, but he said for him, it feels like this is the end." 

In June, Rodgers acknowledged that he was "pretty sure" he would retire following this season. The future Hall of Famer turned 42 years old in December, and he dealt with numerous physical setbacks over the previous handful of campaigns before he suffered a small fracture in his left (non-throwing) wrist in Week 11 of this season. 

While with the Green Bay Packers during the 2022 campaign, Rodgers played with a broken thumb on his throwing hand before he went down with a rib injury that fall. He suffered a torn Achilles with the New York Jets in September 2023, and multiple physical issues impacted him during the 2024 season. 

That said, Rodgers teased in August that he would consider serving as Pittsburgh's starter for two seasons. Several of his teammates began campaigning for his return following Monday's defeat, but it's possible he has already made up his mind. 

It sounds like Aaron Rodgers has had enough

"He said it's been a really fun year," Salters added about her chat with Rodgers. "At that time, he just wanted to go on a run and make the playoffs. That did happen. But he said, 'I feel really good about what's happened this year, and that's what I've been saying.' It just feels like the end."

Rodgers is on track to reach free agency when the new league year opens in March. In 2025, he waited until June before he signed his one-year deal with the Steelers. 

Thus, history suggests Rodgers may not publicly reveal his plans until some point this spring. For what it's worth, a previous report said that Pittsburgh "would welcome" Rodgers back for another season.