The Pros and Cons of Aaron Rodgers returning in 2026
By Andy Davies
Aaron Rodgers is once again the talk of the NFL offseason.
Just as he was in the 2023 offseason prior to his move to the New York Jets and last year when he was looking for his next team, Rodgers is once again being discussed by NFL and the media.
In an interview on the Pat McAfee show last summer, Rodgers said that 2025 would be his final season.
Talk of this has cooled in recent weeks. The Week 18 win against the Baltimore Ravens to win the AFC North is likely to have given Rodgers a desire to return to the field, or will he feel this was the perfect way to end his NFL career?
However, a loss to the Houston Texans in the Wildcard Round may have Rodgers wanting to right a few wrongs.
Here are the pros and cons of Rodgers returning in 2026.
The pros of Aaron Rodgers returning in 2026
2025 was a season that went a lot better for Rodgers than a lot of people expected.
It may have been his lowest total for passing yards and touchdowns in a season where he has played at least 10 games, but he was still solid.
Rodgers was 15th in the league for passing yards and Jordan Love, Patrick Mahomes and Lamar Jackson, who all played 13 games or more this season, threw for less passing touchdowns than Rodgers (24).
Crucially, 22 quarterbacks threw for more interceptions than Rodgers in 2025. He may not be the quarterback he once was, that is not a secret.
However, if this was his last ever NFL season, then this was not the stumbling final seasons of Peyton Manning, Drew Brees or Ben Roethlisberger. Rodgers showed that he still has something left in the tank.
Whether it was his four passing touchdowns in Week One against the Jets, his entertaining duel with Joe Flacco in October or game winning throw to Calvin Austin in Week 18, Rodgers’ 2025 season was full of great moments.
Whoever Rodgers goes to; he should not be expecting a Super Bowl ring as Manning did despite his aforementioned struggles in his final season. Despite this, he has shown he still has the talent to at least make a postseaosn push or even win a playoff game.
The cons of Aaron Rodgers returning in 2026
Rodgers may have seen his season come to an end in disappointing fashion to the Texans, a team that had massive issues in their following game against the New England Patriots, but there is an argument that the four-time MVP may have ended his NFL career in the best way.
The Week 18 win against the Ravens was one of the games of the season, with one of the best endings in recent memory.
From Rodgers’ aforementioned throw to Austin to the missed kicks from both Chris Boswell and Tyler Loop, the fourth quarter had everything.
To beat your biggest division rivals on the final week of the regular season to secure the division is the dream for any NFL quarterback.
At the age of 42, Rodgers is not exactly getting any younger.
He will turn 43 at the end of the 2026 season and whilst he has shown that he still has got it, there is no guarantee that this will continue by the time September hits.
After all, there is no telling when father time will hit a player.
Of course, every NFL player wants the ending to their career that Manning, Ray Lewis and John Elway, but this is a privilege not a right.
If Rodgers were to continue and see further decline, then this will be the final memory of his career rather than that entertaining Week 18 win to secure the AFC North.
ANDY DAVIES
NFL ANALYST
ANDY IS A SPORTS JOURNALISM GRADUATE WITH OVER SIX YEARS EXPERIENCE OF NFL WRITING AND PODCASTING. ANDY HAS BEEN TO EVERY NFL STADIUM AND IS THE HOST OF THE ACROSS THE POD PODCAST. HE HAS PRESS PASS EXPERIENCE AT THE LONDON GAMES AND MANY OTHER NFL BASED EVENTS SUCH AS SUPER BOWL LIX, HAVING INTERVIEWED THE LIKES OF AARON RODGERS, JUSTIN JEFFERSON, JASON BELL, OSI UMENYIORA, PATRICK MAHOMES, TRAVIS KELCE, DERRICK HENRY, SAQUON BARKLEY AND JALEN HURTS.