Maxx Crosby wanted Aaron Rodgers to join the Las Vegas Raiders this offseason. Instead, the Raiders acquired a different veteran quarterback in Geno Smith. And now Crosby, the team’s All-Pro pass rusher, believes Rodgers won’t be playing for anyone during the 2025 NFL season.
“I think he retires,” Crosby predicted on his “The Rush” podcast, via the Patriot-News. “I think the fact that he’s not with Davante [Adams] and he’s not very familiar with Pittsburgh, I don’t know. I think he retires. He’s about 42 now. … I feel like that would make sense, him going to the Steelers. I think they need a quarterback. They need a guy who’s a vet, a proven dude. But I don’t know. I don’t see it. I just don’t see that as a thing. I can’t see him in a Pittsburgh uniform. My brain can’t put that together.”
Neither, it seems, can Rodgers, at least for now.
Despite recently meeting with Pittsburgh brass at the Steelers’ facilities, the former MVP quarterback remains without a team. He previously spoke with the New York Giants, who have since signed both Russell Wilson and Jameis Winston, and the Minnesota Vikings, who’ve left the door open for future talks but are happy with J.J. McCarthy as their presumptive starter for the time being. Adams, meanwhile, who reunited with Rodgers on the New York Jets in 2024, signed with the Los Angeles Rams in free agency.
Aaron Rodgers future: Projecting contract offers from Steelers, Vikings, plus quarterback’s big 2025 decision
Cody Benjamin
Crosby’s remarks come days after ESPN’s Adam Schefter loosely reported that Rodgers “might not want to play” at all, given his options. The 41-year-old signal-caller didn’t publicly state his intentions for the 2025 campaign after his release from the Jets to start free agency.
