Why Davante Adams Feels ‘Sick’ About Aaron Rodgers Retirement Rumors

“I’m heartbroken for him.”

Davante Adams shared his thoughts on Aaron Rodgers potentially retiring. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

With the Steelers falling to the Texans in the wild-card round of the playoffs on Monday, it’s possible that Aaron Rodgers has played the final game of his career.

Rodgers has not decided whether he will retire yet, but Troy Aikman and a number of others believe the 42-year-old quarterback will hang it up this offseason after a dismal showing against a tough Houston defense that ended with him throwing a pick-six.

Rodgers’s longtime teammate and friend Davante Adams shared his thoughts on that chatter on Tuesday. He said to Kay Adams on the Up & Adams Show, “I see it and it makes me sick because knowing him and knowing what everyone should know about him at this point ... he learned from Brett Favre. He’s just as much Iron Man as anybody who’s ever played this game. I got so much respect for how he’s done it. The fact that he’s just been himself throughout this whole thing, I got nothing but cheers for him no matter what happens.”

Aaron Rodgers can't end it like this.

Excellent insight as always from his pal, Davante Adams. 🔊‼️pic.twitter.com/Xsaq3NqdJx

— Kay Adams (@heykayadams) January 13, 2026

“In a world of so many quarterbacks giving the cliché answers, not really wanting to be themselves and being afraid to be themselves, we’ve got to appreciate people like Aaron Rodgers who are gonna come out and 100% be themselves regardless of how you feel about it,” Adams added.

Adams said he does not know what Rodgers’s plans are and is not pressing him to find out whether he is going to retire or return for 2026. He was bummed to see Rodgers’s season come to an end the way it did against the Texans, but wants to see his former teammate go out on a better note.

“I’m heartbroken for him because I know how much he wants it and I know how much he deserves it,” Adams said. “To see that game end that way, that’s not how any of us saw it happening. Definitely don’t want his career to end that way. That’s one of my best friends, that hurts me, that hurts my heart a little bit to watch. Ultimately hoping there’s something left there for him to continue going. I want to see him happy and see him finish the way that he deserves to finish.”

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