Aaron Rodgers proved in Week 5 that he’s still got it — on the field and behind the mic.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback took a shot at the media after leading his team to a 34-22 win over the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, October 11, for not talking about Steelers running back Jaylen Warren prior to Warren’s monster performance in the win.
“They have their favorites and people they want to talk about, so that’s what it is,” Rodgers, 42, said in his postgame press conference.
Rodgers had arguably his best performance of the season on Sunday, throwing for three touchdowns and 235 yards with no interceptions. A dual threat, Warren, 27, led the Steelers in rushing and receiving yards on Sunday. He had 15 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown, his third week in a row with at least 90 rushing yards, and six receptions for 87 yards and another touchdown.
It was a historic day for Rodgers, who won his 166th career game as starting quarterback, moving him past Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger for fifth in NFL history. His three touchdowns also moved him past Peyton Manning for third on the NFL’s all-time touchdown list.
”Anytime you’re in the same sentence as Peyton, that definitely does mean a lot to me,” Rodgers told CBS reporter Tracy Wolfson after the game.
It’s been a statement last few weeks for Rodgers, who received plenty of criticism after a rough start to the season. After the Steelers lost, 20-3, to the New England Patriots in Week 2 — a game in which Rodgers threw for no touchdowns, one interception and was sacked four times — former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski publicly speculated that the future Hall of Famer may be regretting his decision to return for 2026.
“Aaron Rodgers is probably thinking that he should have retired last year,” Gronkowski, 37, told former Patriots teammate Julian Edelman on Fox Sports’ “The Gronk & Jules Show” the day after the loss. “After watching the first two weeks, I’m saying that’s what he was probably thinking. He may be thinking that if it continues the way it continues for the Steelers. I mean, there’s just no juice on that offensive side of the ball.”
At the time, Rodgers had one touchdown and one interception through two games after considering retirement in the offseason.
“I’m 42 years old and I’m on a one-year deal,” he told ESPN last December. “So you know what the situation is. Whenever the season ends, I’ll be a free agent. So that’ll give me a lot of options if I still want to play. I mean, not a lot of options, but there’ll be options, I would think, maybe one or two, if I decide I still want to play.”
Rodgers and the Steelers will take the field for Week 6 on Sunday, October 18, on the road against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
