The Best and Worst ‘Last Dance’ QB Seasons in NFL History As Aaron Rodgers Enters Final Year

This is it for Aaron Rodgers.

After re-signing with the Steelers on a one-year deal over the weekend, Rodgers confirmed to reporters that this will be his final NFL season. Rodgers initially said last summer that he was “pretty sure” the 2025 campaign would be his last, but instead has returned for 2026. This time, Rodgers says he is for sure planning to retire after the season.

Five years after Rodgers retires, he will be heading to Canton, Ohio, to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, joining the other legendary quarterbacks who have received the prestigious honor. There have been a wide variety of endings for these signal-callers. Some, such as John Elway and Peyton Manning, have gone out on top as champions despite not having great final years individually. Others such as Joe Montana, Fran Tarkenton and Kurt Warner put together quality seasons and led their teams to the playoffs.

Related: What Aaron Rodgers Brings to the Steelers In 2026 Now That He’s Officially Returning

Many Hall of Fame quarterbacks, however, don’t get a Cinderella ending. Warren Moon was primarily a backup by the time he played his final two years. Dynasty leaders Terry Bradshaw and Bart Starr were both significantly hampered in their final seasons due to injuries to their throwing arms which required surgery. Troy Aikman and Steve Young suffered concussions in their last years, with Young getting knocked unconscious early in the 1999 season to force his career to come to an end.

So what will it look like for Rodgers? At the very least, he can prevent his career from ending on the dreadful pick-six he threw agains the Texans last January. As he nears his final season, here’s a look at the best and worst career finishes from other Hall of Fame quarterbacks.

Best:

Tom Brady

Final season: 2022
Stats: 4,694 yards, 25 TDs, 9 INTs, 90.7 passer rating

Father Time’s greatest challenger, Tom Brady had the most statistically prolific season of a quarterback in his swan song. Despite the Buccaneers going 8–9, they qualified for the postseason. It was far from the GOAT’s most efficient season, but for a signal-caller at 45—the second-oldest quarterback to appear in a game—it was an unprecedented level of play.

RELATED: All the Records Aaron Rodgers Will Be Chasing in Final NFL Season, and Where He’ll Likely End Up

Drew Brees

Final season: 2020
Stats: 2,942 yards, 24 TDs, 6 INTs, 106.4 passer rating

While Drew Brees missed time in the middle of his final season due to broken ribs and a collapsed lung injury, he impressively closed his career on a high note as he led the Saints to the divisional round of the playoffs, a loss to Brady’s Buccaneers. Brees went 9–3 during the regular season and maintained his signature accuracy as he completed 70.5% of his passes before retiring after the 2020 season.

Roger Staubach

Final Season: 1979
Stats: 3,568 yards, 27 TDs, 11 INTs, 92.3 passer rating

“Captain America” closed his career with the Cowboys on a strong note in 1979, throwing for a career high in passing yards and touchdowns as he led Dallas back to the postseason. Staubach led the league in passer rating, earned Pro Bowl honors for the sixth time and could have continued playing, but retired due to concerns over the number of concussions he suffered.

Norm Van Brocklin

Final season: 1960
Stats: 2,471 yards, 24 TDs, 17 INTs, 86.5 passer rating

Few players have ended their career on a better note than Hall of Famer Norm Van Brocklin, who in 1960 led the Eagles to an NFL championship victory while winning league MVP honors. Van Brocklin turned in his best year in his final season, leading the only team to beat Vince Lombardi’s Packers in a championship game. Van Brocklin, who was also a punter, averaged 43.1 yards on 60 punts during his last season. He immediately became a coach after his retirement, joining the Vikings.

Otto Graham

Final season: 1955
Stats: 1,721 yards, 15 TDs, 8 INTs, 94.0 passer rating

No quarterback in NFL history has finished his time in the league on a better note than Otto Graham, who capped off his Hall of Fame career with the Browns by winning NFL MVP and an NFL championship in 1955. Graham initially retired after the 1954 season, but was lured back by head coach Paul Brown. Graham famously led the Browns to a championship game in all 10 of his pro football seasons, and fittingly went out on top.

More: The 30 Best NFL Players of All Time

Worst:

Johnny Unitas

Final season: 1973
Stats: 471 yards, 3 TDs, 7 INTs, 40.0 passer rating

The close to Johnny Unitas’s career felt wrong on a number of levels. The legendary quarterback was traded from the Colts to the Chargers for his final NFL season. He started just four games, going 1–3 before another Hall of Famer, Dan Fouts, took over. According to the New York Times, “Unitas was not benched. He merely took himself out of the action.” He was later moved to the taxi squad, now known as the practice squad. He retired the following summer.

Joe Namath

Final season: 1977
Stats: 606 yards, 3 TDs, 5 INTs, 54.5 passer rating

Like Unitas, Namath’s career oddly ended on a one-year stint with a California team, when he spent the 1977 season with the Rams. He started four games, but after completing 16 of 40 passes while throwing four picks in a loss to the Bears, Namath was benched and retired after the season.

More: How Joe Namath Transformed the Super Bowl

Dan Marino

Final season: 1999
Stats: 2,448 yards, 12 TDs, 17 INTs, 67.4 passer rating

There aren’t many players in NFL history more deserving of a Cinderella ending than Dan Marino, but he didn’t get it. The greatest quarterback to never win the Super Bowl, Marino finished his time in the NFL by going 5–6 while registering the lowest completion percentage and passer rating of his career. He had the option to keep playing for another team after the season, but opted to retire and only spend his career with the Dolphins.

Y.A. Tittle

Final season: 1964
Stats: 1,798 yards, 10 TDs, 22 INTs, 51.6 passer rating

Like Marino, Tittle infamously was unable to win a championship during his stellar career. Though he had his greatest season of his career the year before retiring by winning NFL MVP, Tittle saw his play quickly drop off in his final campaign. The legendary quarterback struggled as he played through injury in his final season in 1964, throwing over twice as many interceptions than touchdowns as he led the Giants to an 1-8-2 record.

Brett Favre

Final season: 2010
Stats: 2,509 yards, 11 TDs, 19 INTs, 69.9 passer rating

Favre had teased retirement several times a number of times before finally calling it a career after the 2010 season. Though he had just led the Vikings to the NFC championship game in 2009, Favre and Minnesota struggled in his final season as he went 5–8 as a starter. Despite his record-setting durability over the majority of his career, his final season ended a bit prematurely as a concussion prevented him from playing in the last game.

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