It seems like Aaron Rodgers has his blinker on and is getting ready to take the off-ramp on his NFL career. The four-time NFL MVP, who recently signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers, told The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday that he is “pretty sure” the upcoming 2025 campaign will be the last season of his career.
“Yeah, I’m pretty sure this is it,” he acknowledged. “That’s why we just did a one-year deal.”
Rodgers, who is already the NFL’s oldest active player, will turn 42 years old during the 2025 regular season. Before inking his deal with Pittsburgh, it seemed as if Rodgers was mulling retirement, so this development, albeit somewhat vague of a proclamation, isn’t too surprising.
While our collective jaws got nowhere near close to the floor upon hearing this news from Rodgers, he may not be the only one looking at the 2025 season as his final go around, and some who do decide to call it a career after this year could surprise us. Below, we’re going to highlight 10 players outside of Rodgers who could be playing in their final season in 2025, joining him in what could prove to be one stellar Pro Football Hall of Fame class five years down the line.
Kelce seemed to seriously consider walking away after last season in the aftermath of Kansas City’s loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX. Had that game gone in a different direction and the Chiefs pulled off the historic three-peat, it’s conceivable (if not likely) that Kelce would have opted to ride off into the sunset as a champion. Instead, Kelce decided to come back for what will be the 35-year-old’s 13th season in the league.
Beyond this season, however, is a major question. Kelce isn’t even under contract after 2025, but did recently seem to hint his intentions to play beyond this year, saying, “We’ll try and figure out something for next year.” Still, if the Chiefs get back to the Super Bowl and hoist yet another Lombardi Trophy, that could be the stage for Kelce to call it a career. Even without a championship in 2025, it feels entirely possible this is it for the all-time tight end.
Prediction: Will retire
Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes says Travis Kelce not acting like someone who may be going into their ‘last ride’
Bryan DeArdo
Joe Flacco isn’t too far behind Rodgers as the 40-year-old is the second-oldest active player in the league heading into 2025. After a brief stint with the Indianapolis Colts last season, Flacco re-signed with the Cleveland Browns this offseason and could begin the year as the club’s starting quarterback. How long he holds that job could depend on how Cleveland’s other quarterbacks — veteran Kenny Pickett and rookies Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders — develop.
Regardless, Flacco is not a long-term option for the Browns and is only signed through this upcoming season. That leaves the door open for Flacco to possibly find another job either as a backup or stopgap starter next offseason, or the former Super Bowl champion could hang up his helmet. If he’s no longer interested in being a backup, playing through your age-40 season would be a natural cutoff point.
Prediction: Will retire
Stafford’s tenure with the Rams nearly came to an end this offseason as the veteran quarterback flirted with other prospective teams before ultimately deciding to reunite with the Rams via a two-year extension. So, Stafford is technically under contract through 2026, but retirement has loomed over him over the last few years as well.
The 2025 campaign will be his age-37 season, so him deciding to walk away after this year wouldn’t be too surprising. That said, Stafford is still playing at an extremely high level, and the Rams are expected to be in the thick of the Super Bowl conversation through his remaining contract. With that in mind, outside of injury reasons, it’d likely be hard to walk away with this team once again knocking on the door.
Prediction: Won’t retire
Campbell will turn 39 just before the start of the regular season, and it seems like he’s positioned the 2025 season to possibly be his last. The former All-Pro re-signed with the Arizona Cardinals — the team that drafted him back in 2008 — on a one-year deal this offseason. That presents a perfect full-circle moment for Campbell’s career as he can now play one last season with the club that originally drafted him before opting for retirement.
He’s also still playing at a high level, recording at least five sacks in each of the last three seasons. If he keeps that production up in this latest stop with the Cardinals, he could go out on a high note.
Prediction: Will retire
Wagner is entering his 14th season in the NFL and will be playing in his age-35 season. After a successful first season in Washington that featured an NFC Championship berth, the veteran re-signed with the Commanders, but only on a one-year deal. So, it’s conceivable that he could be giving it one more run with the organization before mulling retirement.
Like a good portion of these players, retirement may look more appealing depending on how Washington’s 2025 season goes. While Wagner has a Super Bowl title on his résumé, if he were to hoist the Lombardi Trophy yet again, it would be a storybook ending. Beyond that, however, I think he rides with Dan Quinn for at least one more season beyond 2025 as he has plenty of fuel still in the tank.
Prediction: Won’t retire
David re-signed with the Buccaneers on a one-year deal earlier this offseason, so the 35-year-old will be gearing up for his 14th season in the NFL. Similar to Wagner, David is still playing at a tremendously high level, totaling at least 122 tackles in each of the last three seasons. His Buccaneers are also among the bigger threats in the NFC and are the betting favorite to once again win the NFC South, which would ensure another playoff berth.
All that pointed to him returning for 2025, but beyond that is a serious question. David would be looking at his age-36 season in 2026, so this could very well be the last ride.
Prediction: Will retire
Trent Williams is a sure-fire Hall of Famer whenever he’s up for consideration, but he keeps laughing at Father Time. He’s set to turn 37 years old before the start of the 2025 season, which would be his 15th in the NFL. Despite being so long in the tooth, he’s widely considered one of, if not the best, left tackles in the game today. Williams did miss a chunk of last season, however, as he was limited to just 10 games due to an ankle injury. If the injury bug continues to bite him in 2025, that could be the precursor to him finally hanging it up.
Beyond that, however, Williams doesn’t seem to have eyes for retirement anytime soon, saying recently, “I would love to play until I’m 40.” So while it’s entirely possible this could be his final season, we’ll take him at his word that he’s sticking around beyond 2025.
Prediction: Won’t retire.
Russell Wilson is now on his third team in as many seasons, signing a one-year deal with the New York Giants after a quick one-season stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers. And he shouldn’t be looking at any long-term housing options in the New York area with the team drafting Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft. So, Wilson, who will turn 37 during the 2025 season, will likely be looking for a new team yet again next offseason as Dart ascends to QB1 sooner rather than later.
Does Wilson want to do that again? Moreover, will a team want Russell Wilson? The former Super Bowl champion was a backup option for the Giants after a failed pursuit of Matthew Stafford earlier this offseason. Even the Steelers opted to wait months for Aaron Rodgers rather than simply bring Wilson back into the fold. So, a retirement decision could be made for Wilson as a starting job may not be available to him, and it’s hard to see him accepting a full-time backup role anywhere.
Prediction: Will retire
Kirk Cousins is in a fascinating situation at the moment. The veteran is being paid a base salary of $27.5 million this season to serve as the backup to Michael Penix Jr. with the Atlanta Falcons. The club inked Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract last offseason, but benched him at the end of last season to make way for Penix, whom it drafted in the first round that same offseason.
Trade speculation has run wild around Cousins, but no deal has come across the wire yet. Eventually, Cousins should land in a situation where he’s at least rivaling for the starting job, and, given that he’s under contract through 2027, it’s hard to see him walking away.
Prediction: Won’t retire
Heyward is an ageless wonder, earning first-team All-Pro honors last season along with the seventh Pro Bowl nod of his career. He’s showing no signs of slowing down, despite the 36-year-old entering his 15th season in the league. He played all 17 regular-season games for Pittsburgh in 2024 and totaled eight sacks and 11 pass breakups. Clearly, he has more to give and signed a three-year, $45 million contract extension with the Steelers, all but ensuring that he’ll play his entire career with the organization.
Despite being under contract through 2026, however, there are no guarantees in Heyward’s deal beyond this coming season. It’s possible Heyward could look at this one-season stint with Rodgers as his last kick at the can as well before retiring with another QB reset on the horizon for Pittsburgh.
Prediction: Will retire
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Author: Tyler Sullivan
June 24, 2025 | 5:05 pm
