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Pittsburgh Steelers fans were shouting for Aaron Rodgers to “retire” as he walked off Acrisure Stadium following Monday night’s crushing 30-6 Wild Card playoff loss to the Houston Texans.
The Steelers’ season ended with a whimper as Houston’s suffocating defense completely shut down Pittsburgh’s offensive efforts. For Rodgers – who completed just 17 of 33 passes for 146 yards with no touchdowns and an interception – it may have been his final NFL appearance.
Cameras caught the awkward moment as fans directed retirement chants toward the 42-year-old quarterback while he headed to the tunnel.
Steelers fans yelling at Aaron Rodgers to retire…. Damn.
pic.twitter.com/4TVHdl6xPz
— JPA (@jasrifootball) January 13, 2026
When asked about his future during the post-game press conference, Rodgers avoided making any immediate decision.
“I’m not going to make any emotional decisions,” he told reporters.
“Disappointed, you know, obviously, I’m such a, Fun year, you know, a lot of adversity, but a lot of, a lot of fun. It’s been a great year, you know, overall in my life in the last year, and this is, you know, a really good part of that, coming here and being a part of this team. So it’s disappointing to be sitting here, with the season over.”
The future Hall of Famer’s potential final season in the NFL wasn’t statistically poor. He completed 65.7% of his passes for 3,322 yards with 24 touchdowns against just 7 interceptions across his 17 regular-season games.
It wasn’t enough when it mattered most.
Houston’s defense – which ranked among the league’s best all season – completely neutralized Pittsburgh’s attack from the opening kickoff. The Texans built a 20-3 halftime lead and never looked back, holding the Steelers without a touchdown for the entire game.
With the victory, Houston advances to face the top-seeded New England Patriots in the AFC Divisional Round next weekend. The Patriots, led by first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, earned a first-round bye after finishing with a conference-best 13-4 record.
For Pittsburgh, an offseason of questions begins – with Rodgers’ future at the top of the list.
