The final pass of Aaron Rodgers’ storied NFL career might’ve been the fourth-quarter pick-six he threw Monday night, but the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback wasn’t ready to say.
“I’m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers said after the Steelers lost 30-6 to the Houston Texans in a wild-card round game at Acrisure Stadium. “I’m disappointed, obviously. It was such as fun year. A lot of adversity but a lot of fun. I had a great year overall in my life in the last year, and this was a really good part of that, coming here and being part of this team. So, it’s disappointing to be sitting here with the season over.”
Rodgers completed 17 of 33 passes for 146 yards and one interception that Houston’s Calen Bullock returned 50 yards for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Backup quarterback Mason Rudolph replaced Rodgers for the final 2:39.
The four-time MVP acknowledged after signing with the Steelers that this was very likely his last season, but he lately seemed to leave the door open for a possible return. He said late Monday night that this playoff loss wouldn’t impact his ultimate decision.
“You just get away and then have the right conversations,” Rodgers said of his postseason plans.
A onetime Super Bowl MVP, his arrival in Pittsburgh was unable to snap the Steelers out of a postseason funk that’s now reached nine years without a playoff win. The most-tenured player in the Steelers locker room, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward, said he’d welcome Rodgers back, but acknowledged he didn’t know what the 21-year pro had planned and wouldn’t “play GM.”
“I’d love to have him back, but I’m not the one making that decision,” Heyward said. “That’s not fair to the Steelers, it’s not fair to 8. I have a lot of respect for the organization and Aaron. That dude has earned my respect for what he’s been through this year. He’s a hell of a teammate. I’m just thankful I got to play with that quarterback.”
Wide receiver DK Metcalf, who had two receptions for 42 yards in his return from suspension, said he’d also like to see Rodgers come back.
“You know, I’m going to let everybody settle down and give him like a month or two off,” Metcalf said. “But hopefully he comes back next year.”
The 42-year-old Rodgers said he felt good physically, bothered only by the wrist he fractured late in the regular season. He declined to say whether he’d consider playing elsewhere next season or would only return with the Steelers.
The fifth-leading passer in NFL history, Rodgers built his legacy in Green Bay before playing two lackluster seasons with the New York Jets. In his first season with the Steelers, he returned to the playoffs for the first time in four years.
“I was fortunate to play in an incredible football city for 18 years, and I never took it for granted,” Rodgers said. “I enjoyed that time there. This has been a really beautiful back end to that first 18, to be able to be here for a year. This is a special place.”
If this was the final game of Rodgers’ career — or at least his Steelers’ finale — it was a dismal finish for the future hall of famer. Rodgers and the offense struggled mightily against the Texans, failing to score a touchdown for the second time in three games.
The Steelers settled for two Chris Boswell field goals, a 32-yarder in the first quarter and a 35-yarder just before halftime. The Texans committed two first-half turnovers, yet the Steelers, unable to capitalize, trailed 7-6 at the break.
“I don’t feel like we ever got the momentum on our side, honestly,” Rodgers said. “We had a lot of chances. Defense played really good in the first half. They’ve got a good defense. But we had a lot of opportunities. Didn’t make the most out of hardly any of them.”
The Texans defense scored twice in the fourth quarter, the first a scoop-and-score by Sheldon Rankin after Rodgers was sacked and fumbled. Rodgers was sacked four times in all, with the pass-rush tandem of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter accounting for 1½ sacks.
The Texans defense, statistically the best in the NFL in yards allowed, was as good those numbers implied. The Steelers were outgained 408-175 while averaging just 3.1 yards per play.
Still, Rodgers insisted the offense had its chances.
“There were a lot of plays there to be made, for sure,” he said. “They’ve got a good defense, no doubt about it. But we had them on our home field, on our grass and had opportunities, especially in the first half, to put a lot of points on the board and make it easier for our defense that was playing really good.”