Steelers Warned About Aaron Rodgers Retirement

A former NFL general manager warned the Pittsburgh Steelers about the possibility of Aaron Rodgers abruptly retiring.

Oct 6, 2024; Tottenham, ENG; New York Jets Quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) in the 3rd Quarter against Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images / Shaun Brooks-Imagn Images

As things remain relatively stagnant on the Aaron Rodgers front, former Pittsburgh Steelers executive Doug Whaley warned the team against digging their heels in on the 41-year-old quarterback.

During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan, Whaley likened Rodgers' situation to that of Percy Harvin, whom he signed while serving as the Buffalo Bills' general manager.

'We're in Buffalo, and Percy Harvin gets cut from Minnesota," Whaley said. "And we call him to say, 'Hey, we're interested in you.' And he goes, 'I'm thinking about retiring.' And then, at the time, Anthony Lynn was our running backs coach and I think our offensive coordinator. And he says, 'I'd love to have him, but once you hear athletes start talking about retirement, they've already retired.'

"We end up signing him anyway, I think the first game he takes a punt back for a touchdown ... About Week 8 or 9, we're going over to London to play the Jaguars. That week, he comes in and says, 'I'm retired,' and we're like wait a minute. It was crushing 'cause we were right in the playoff mix."

Whaley's story serves as a admonitory tale, but it's apples and oranges when comparing the two cases.

In the three seasons prior to initially hanging up his spikes during the 2015 campaign, Harvin played in double-digit games on just one occasion.

He had dealt with ankle and hip injuries during that timeframe, which certainly factored into his decision, though he came out of retirement in 2016 and appeared in two more games for Buffalo before setting off into the sunset for good.

Harvin was 28-years-old when he officially announced his plans to step away from the game in March 2017, representing quite the age difference with Rodgers.

For that reason, it's hard to draw a concrete parallel between the two situations. Sure, this isn't the first instance in which Rodgers has openly pondered retirement, first doing so around the time of his infamous darkness retreat following the 2022 campaign, but that's more or less expected considering he's nearing 20 years in the league.

Even so, Whaley isn't sure that he'll put his best foot forward if he does suit up in 2025.

"If you start talking retirement at 41, is he going to be able to get over that thought process in his mind and able to give 110% for the entire season?"

Rodgers doesn't feel particularly likely to renege on his commitment to an organization by abruptly putting an end to his playing days in the middle of a season, however.

In a world where he does retire, it'll presumably arrive as a finite resolution before he signs with the Steelers or any other team.

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