Aaron Rodgers Reflects on Final Week 1 of His NFL Career

Aaron Rodgers has played a Week 1 game in nearly every conceivable circumstance.

As Brett Favre's backup. As the new face of the Green Bay Packers. As a reigning MVP. With the New York Jets. With the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Sunday brought one he had never experienced before: his last.

Rodgers opened his final NFL season with a 20-13 win over the Atlanta Falcons at Acrisure Stadium, beginning the last chapter of a career that has stretched more than two decades.

And when he was asked afterward what it felt like to know his final Week 1 was already behind him, Rodgers didn't sound consumed by the countdown.

“Well I’m enjoying it for sure,” Rodgers said.

Then he started talking about everyone else.

Aaron Rodgers Is Appreciating the People Around Him

For Rodgers, the significance of Sunday seemed to have less to do with checking off another career milestone than with the people sharing it with him.

That started with Mike McCarthy.

The longtime Packers coach returned home to Pittsburgh this offseason to become the Steelers' head coach, reuniting him with the quarterback he coached for more than a decade in Green Bay. Sunday's victory was McCarthy's first as Pittsburgh's head coach.

“To be back here with Mike. About to give him the game ball, which will be really special,” Rodgers said.

He quickly shifted his attention to two of Pittsburgh's defensive leaders.

“T.J. [Watt] played unbelievable and he’s been on a different level this entire camp. I’m so proud of him. I love the way he leads.

“And then Cam [Heyward] is the epitome of a Pittsburgh Steeler.”

T.J. Watt delivered a dominant performance in the opener, while Cam Heyward once again helped anchor the Steelers' defense. For Rodgers, sharing this final season with players he has come to respect has become part of what makes the experience meaningful.

“To be able to share in a leadership opportunity is really, really special in my last year and I’m just so thankful just for the opportunity out here and to play the game love with guys I really respect and love as well,” Rodgers said.

It was a revealing answer from someone who knows exactly where the finish line is.

Aaron Rodgers Knows the ‘Lasts’ Have Begun

Rodgers has left no ambiguity about what comes after this season.

The four-time NFL MVP has said 2026 will be his final year, meaning every stop on Pittsburgh's schedule now carries a little more permanence. The Steelers themselves acknowledged that reality before the opener, calling Sunday's game “the last first one” for their quarterback.

Rodgers admitted before the game that the familiar Week 1 butterflies would still be there.

They were there when he made his first NFL start for Green Bay in 2008. Eighteen years later, they were waiting for him again before his last season opener.

There will be more of these moments over the next several months.

His final road trips. His final games against familiar opponents. His final regular-season home game.

For someone who has spent so much of his career looking for the next read, the next drive and the next opportunity, Rodgers now has the rare chance to know when something is happening for the last time.

One of those moments arrived Sunday. He made sure to enjoy it.

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