Ben Roethlisberger Thinks 2025 Will Be Aaron Rodgers’ Last NFL Season: “This Might Be It”

As the 2025 NFL season approaches, the Pittsburgh Steelers find themselves in an unusual and high-profile position. With longtime Packers legend and four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers now under center in the black and gold, the franchise has pinned its playoff hopes on one of the greatest quarterbacks of the modern era—albeit one likely in his final act.

And if you ask former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, he believes this ride with Rodgers might be a short one.

Speaking candidly on a recent episode of his Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger podcast, the retired QB shared his thoughts on Rodgers’s future—and he didn’t hold back.

“I don’t think he’s got much more after this year,” Roethlisberger said, via Andrew Vasquez of USA Today. “I think this might be it for him — personally. I have no inside information. You could ask, ‘Well, how do you know?’ I don’t. I’m just guessing. But coming off an Achilles injury, I know how your body changes.”

Roethlisberger, who retired after the 2021 season, knows firsthand how a serious injury can affect a veteran quarterback. After undergoing elbow surgery that caused him to miss most of the 2019 season, he returned in 2020 and led the Steelers to a playoff berth—but admitted later that it took more than a year before he truly felt like himself again.

“When I came back, I thought I was 100%,” Roethlisberger recalled. “But you don’t realize how far from 100% you are until you actually feel good again. I imagine Aaron’s going to go through the same thing.”

Rodgers, who suffered a torn Achilles just four snaps into the 2023 season with the New York Jets, made a full comeback in 2024. He started all 17 games and performed at a respectable level, but the Jets fell short of the playoffs and missed out on the high expectations that surrounded Rodgers’s much-hyped arrival in New York.

Now, in what could be described as one last shot at glory, Rodgers has landed in Pittsburgh—replacing Kenny Pickett in a franchise desperate to regain relevance in the AFC.

The Final Chapter?

Rodgers, who turns 42 in December, has yet to publicly declare whether 2025 will be his final season. But the writing may be on the wall. Not many quarterbacks have successfully extended their careers into their 40s, and even fewer have remained elite while doing so.

Tom Brady was the rare exception, retiring at 45 after a remarkable run with the Patriots and Buccaneers. But for most, including Roethlisberger, Peyton Manning, and Drew Brees, the 39–41 age window typically signals the end.

Roethlisberger emphasized that he doesn’t think Rodgers lacks the will to play—but rather that the physical demands, especially post-injury, are too significant to ignore.

“He might feel better this year than last,” Ben said. “But that doesn’t mean the body has two or three more years in it. I’ve been there. You think you’re fine, but deep down, you know you’re close to the end.”

High Stakes in Pittsburgh

For the Steelers, bringing in Rodgers is about more than just nostalgia or name recognition. It’s about results. The franchise has not won a playoff game since the 2016 season. That includes the final five years of Roethlisberger’s career and the three seasons since his retirement.

The front office and fan base alike are hoping Rodgers can be the catalyst that changes that narrative. With a talented young roster, one of the league’s best defenses, and a strong running game led by Najee Harris, Pittsburgh has a legitimate shot to compete in the crowded AFC—if Rodgers stays healthy and sharp.

But simply making the playoffs may not be enough. For the Steelers to consider the Rodgers experiment a success, a postseason victory seems like the bare minimum. And for Rodgers himself, it could serve as poetic closure—after an underwhelming stint in New York that never fully got off the ground.

Rodgers’s Legacy: Redemption or Retire?

Rodgers has always been one of the NFL’s most enigmatic stars. Brilliant on the field, outspoken off it, and fiercely independent in his decision-making, he has never shied away from controversy or unconventional paths. Whether it was his exit from Green Bay, his brief and frustrating run in New York, or his surprising choice to come to Pittsburgh in 2025, he’s always kept people guessing.

But as his 21st NFL season looms, the sense of finality grows stronger. This could be Rodgers’s last chance to control the narrative—to end his career on his own terms, in his own way, perhaps with one final run through the playoffs.

If that happens, fans in Pittsburgh will celebrate a gamble that paid off. And if it doesn’t? Well, the Steelers may find themselves right back where they were a year ago—searching for a long-term answer at quarterback.

Either way, Roethlisberger’s comments echo what many in the NFL world are quietly wondering:

Is this really Aaron Rodgers’s last dance?