SI

Aaron Rodgers Walked Out of Postgame Press Conference After Cursing at Reporter

Aaron Rodgers had a rough night in what might have been the final game of his career.
Aaron Rodgers had a rough night in what might have been the final game of his career. | @NFL

Aaron Rodgers had his 21st and possibly final season in the NFL come to an ugly end Monday night with the Steelers losing at home to the Texans, 30-6, in the last wild-card game of the weekend. The future Hall of Famer threw for just 146 yards with no touchdowns and had a pick-six in the final minutes that put the game away for good.

Rodgers spoke after the game about his future, saying he wasn't going to make any "emotional decisions" about whether he will retire or come back for one more season.

He also talked about Mike Tomlin's job security and how he thinks it's crazy that some people want the Steelers to part ways with their longtime coach.

Rodgers's postgame press conference then came to a bit of a heated end after a reporter asked him another question about Tomlin and what he learned about the coach over the season.

“I've answered that a number of times, I’ve talked extensively about how I feel about Mike," Rodgers said. "And I just did in that f------ answer. Thanks.”

Here's that moment:

What a way for Rodgers to end what might have been the final postgame press conference of his career.

He had this to say about Tomlin moments before that awkward exit:

"Mike T. has had more success than damn near anybody in the league for the last 19, 20 years. And more than that, though, when you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don't think about making a change, but there's a lot of pressure that comes from the outside and obviously that sways decisions from time to time. But it's not how I would do things and not how the league used to be."

Rodgers, who turned 42 last month, struggled a bit down the stretch for the Steelers, throwing only two touchdown passes in his final four games. But he was able to do just enough to get them into the playoffs.

But after Monday night's ugly loss, in which he took a beating from the Texans' stellar defense, it seems like he very well could have just played his final NFL game.


More NFL on Sports Illustrated


Published | Modified
Andy Nesbitt
ANDY NESBITT

Andy Nesbitt is the assistant managing editor of audience engagement at Sports Illustrated. He works closely with the Breaking and Trending News team to shape SI’s daily coverage across all sports. A 20-year veteran of the sports media business, he has worked for Fox Sports, For the Win, The Boston Globe and NBC Sports, having joined SI in February 2023. Nesbitt is a golf fanatic who desperately wants to see the Super Bowl played on a Saturday night.

Share on XFollow anezbitt