Ranking greatest farewell seasons in NFL history before Aaron Rodgers’ final ride

While the end of most playing careers is often sudden and surprising, there have been several instances where the end was either already announced or generally assumed. Aaron Rodgers put himself in the former category when he announced that the 2026 season will indeed be his last.

Rodgers has firsthand experience watching legendary quarterbacks end their careers. A 49ers fan growing up, Rodgers saw Joe Montana cap off his career with the Kansas City Chiefs following a legendary run in San Francisco. Five years later, Steve Young, Montana’s successor in San Francisco, saw his career end abruptly when he was blindsided by a defender. In 2010, Rodgers then helped send Brett Favre into retirement by leading the Packers to a season sweep of the Vikings, his predecessor’s fourth and final team.

This season, Rodgers will look to earn a spot on the following list ranking the best farewell seasons of the Super Bowl era.

10. Ben Roethlisberger, 2021

Roethlisberger’s 2021 season became an extended goodbye after reports surfaced before Week 13 that the Steelers‘ longtime quarterback was entering the final stretch of his career. At that point, it was generally assumed that Big Ben was no longer in Pittsburgh’s long-term plans amid the team’s recent personnel and roster changes.

Roethlisberger’s final season was a roller coaster. After a 1-3 start, the Steelers rallied to finish with a 9-7-1 record. Pittsburgh earned the AFC’s final playoff spot after Roethlisberger led a game-winning drive against the rival Ravens in Baltimore. The Chiefs quickly ousted the Steelers from the playoffs, though, with Roethlisberger throwing for 215 yards and two touchdowns in his final game.

During his final season, Roethlisberger led the Steelers to season sweeps of divisional foes Baltimore and Cleveland. He remains the last starting quarterback to lead Pittsburgh to a win over the Browns in Cleveland. Fittingly, his last home game was a win against the Browns, one of the teams that passed on him in the 2004 NFL Draft. Throughout that game, Roethlisberger received cheers from Steelers fans who expressed their gratitude for his 18 seasons in the black and gold.

9. Tom Brady, 2022

Brady briefly retired that offseason before deciding to play a 23rd and final season. Brady, 45 at the time, was coming off a brilliant 2021 season that saw him lead the NFL in pass attempts, completions, passing yards and touchdown passes. The general consensus was that the 2022 season would be Brady’s last.

Simply put, the 2022 season didn’t go as planned for Brady and the Bucs, who won the NFC South despite posting a losing record. It was the first and only time a Brady-led team finished below .500. Brady completed just 53% of his passes in his final game, a 31-14 loss to the Cowboys in the NFC wild card round.

While the season was largely a disappointment, Brady still put up impressive numbers, throwing for 4,694 yards and 25 touchdowns against nine interceptions while completing 66.8% of his passes.

8. Marcus Allen, 1997

Allen, who had announced during the offseason that the 1997 season would be his last, ran for 11 touchdowns during the final season of his Hall of Fame career. He also threw a pair of touchdown passes, including a game-winner against the Steelers on “Monday Night Football.” Allen’s play helped the Chiefs win the AFC West for the second time in three years.

In the playoffs, however, Allen and the Chiefs were upset by the eventual Super Bowl champion Broncos. Ironically, Allen’s counterpart that day, Terrell Davis, had attended the same San Diego-area high school as Allen roughly a decade earlier. Three weeks after Denver’s 14-10 upset win at Arrowhead Stadium, Davis led the Broncos to the AFC’s first Super Bowl win since Allen’s Raiders defeated Washington in the big game 14 years earlier.

7. Alan Page, 1981

The first defensive player to win league MVP, Page was released by the Vikings after failing to record a sack during the first games of the 1978 season. The 33-year-old Page was quickly claimed off waivers by the Bears and collected 11.5 sacks during the season’s final 10 games. Page reunited in Chicago with legendary defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.

After more than three seasons in Chicago, Page made it known that the 1981 season would be his last. He capped his career with a three-sack performance in a win over the Broncos that eliminated Denver from playoff contention. Page, 36 at the time, recorded 9.0 sacks during his farewell season.

Page’s impact on the Bears lasted long after his final season. Late in the ’81 season, Page wrote a letter to then-Bears owner George Halas on behalf of the entire Chicago defense asking him to keep Ryan as defensive coordinator for the 1982 season. Moved by the letter, Halas elected to retain Ryan after hiring Mike Ditka as his new coach. Four years later, both Ditka and Halas were carried off the field after helping the Bears win their first and only Super Bowl.

6. Joe Montana, 1994

Reports surfaced in early December that Montana was planning to retire after the 1994 season. Despite playing in only 14 games, Montana threw for his most yards in a season since 1990, his second of consecutive MVP seasons. Montana went 9-5 as the Chiefs’ starting quarterback during the regular season.

Montana’s final season included a vintage performance in Denver on “Monday Night Football.” After John Elway gave the Broncos the lead late in the game, Montana, who threw for 393 yards that night, responded by leading the Chiefs’ offense on a 75-yard drive that culminated in his game-winning touchdown pass with 13 seconds left.

While he bested Elway that night, Montana’s career ultimately ended in the first round of the playoffs against Dan Marino, another iconic quarterback who had fallen to Montana’s 49ers a decade earlier in his only Super Bowl appearance. Montana played well in defeat, throwing for 314 yards and two touchdowns against one interception while completing 70.3% of his passes.

Instead of ending his career as Young’s backup in San Francisco, Montana was able to step away from football on his own terms.

5. Tiki Barber, 2006

From a statistical standpoint, Barber had the best season of any player on this list. During his final campaign, Barber, who had made his retirement plans public that October, rushed for 1,662 yards while eclipsing 2,000 all-purpose yards for a third straight season. Barber also earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection.

In his final regular-season game, Barber ran for 234 yards and three touchdowns while helping the Giants clinch a playoff berth. Barber then ran for 137 yards in the Giants’ loss to the Eagles in the NFC wild card round in what was his final NFL game.

Like fellow running back Barry Sanders had done several years earlier, Barber, who was 31 during his final season, also chose to leave the game while still playing at a high level. But while Sanders’ decision did not cost him a spot in the Hall of Fame, Barber is still waiting for a gold jacket and a bronze bust in Canton, Ohio. The Giants’ historic Super Bowl upset victory over the Patriots, which occurred a year after Barber’s retirement, has probably contributed to his wait.

4. Ray Lewis, 2012

Before the start of the 2012 playoffs, reports surfaced that Lewis, who was returning from injury, had informed his teammates that he planned to retire after the season. Baltimore then went on a four-game run that culminated with Lewis hoisting the Vince Lombardi Trophy for a second time.

While a torn triceps sidelined him for most of the regular season, Lewis played and started in each of Baltimore’s four playoff games. His 51 tackles and 29 solo stops led all postseason participants.

In his final game, Lewis had seven tackles while helping the Ravens edge the 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII. Baltimore’s 34-31 win over San Francisco was also Ed Reed’s final game in a Ravens uniform. Reed retired after spending parts of the 2013 season with the Texans and Jets.

Following Denver’s thrilling AFC Championship Game win over New England, Manning was overheard telling Bill Belichick that “this might be my last rodeo,” a soundbite that confirmed Manning was indeed retiring after the 2015 season.

Manning’s final season was downright bizarre. Injuries limited him to 10 games during the regular season. And when he did play, it was clear that he was no longer capable of playing at a high level. It got so bad that Manning was in jeopardy of finishing the season, and his career, on the bench.

But when the opportunity presented itself, Manning took full advantage. He replaced an ineffective Brock Osweiler in Week 17 and helped lead the Broncos to a come-from-behind win over the Chargers. Manning remained Denver’s starter through the playoffs and helped the Broncos win their third Super Bowl title.

To Manning’s credit, he accepted what he no longer was and embraced the things he could still do once he re-entered the starting lineup. After years of beating teams with his arm and mind, Manning did most of his damage with the latter during Denver’s successful playoff run. Ironically, Manning was also used as a decoy. He started Denver’s playoff wins over the Patriots and Panthers with surprising downfield completions that led to points. He also completed a critical 31-yard pass on third-and-12 that spearheaded Denver’s come-from-behind win over Pittsburgh in the AFC divisional round.

Manning’s early success against New England and Carolina put Denver’s talented defense in position to play with the lead, a significant component of the Broncos’ championship run. Instead of playing from behind, the Broncos’ defense, specifically pass rushers Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware, was able to tee off on quarterbacks Tom Brady and Cam Newton.

Fittingly, Manning’s final pass was a two-point conversion that capped Denver’s upset win over Carolina in Super Bowl 50. Manning retired shortly thereafter as the first starting quarterback to win Super Bowls with multiple franchises, a feat Brady later matched.

2. John Elway, 1998

After winning his first Super Bowl in his 15th season, Elway contemplated his future for most of the offseason before deciding to return to help the Broncos win back-to-back Super Bowls. The feeling throughout Denver’s ’98 season was that Elway was playing the final games of his Hall of Fame career.

The Broncos won their first two games by a combined score of 69-44. Even with Elway sidelined for four games with a hamstring injury, Denver continued to pile up wins with backup Bubby Brister under center. The Broncos continued to win upon Elway’s return and flirted with perfection before stumbling with two late-season losses. Denver regained its footing just before the playoffs, edging Seattle on a day when Terrell Davis became the fourth member of the 2,000-yard rushing club.

Davis, the league’s MVP, carried the Broncos to a 38-3 drubbing of the Dolphins, who had handed them one of their late-season losses, in the AFC divisional round. The Broncos trailed the Jets 10-0 in the AFC title game, however, before Elway donned his Superman cape once more. His 47-yard completion to Ed McCaffrey (Christian McCaffrey’s dad) jump-started Denver’s 23-10 come-from-behind win.

Denver’s slow start against the Jets was at least partly due to the news that the Vikings, who had gone 15-1 during the regular season, had been upset by the Falcons earlier in the day. Instead of facing mighty Minnesota, the Broncos faced a Falcons team that, while talented, didn’t appear to have much of a chance. Atlanta’s odds of an upset worsened when one of its best players was arrested on the eve of the game.

The Broncos correctly figured that the Falcons’ defense would focus on stopping Davis, the league’s MVP that season, who still managed to run for 102 yards. With so much of Atlanta’s focus on Davis, Elway let loose, throwing for 336 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown pass that gave the Broncos a double-digit lead they wouldn’t relinquish. Elway capped his MVP performance with a short touchdown run early in the fourth quarter.

With the score well in hand, Elway was lifted from the game and raised his helmet triumphantly in the air. In that moment, it seemed pretty clear to everyone that Elway had played his final down in the NFL. Everyone except Elway, that is.

Elway again contemplated another season before finally announcing his retirement ahead of the 1999 season. While he made it look easy in the previous year’s Super Bowl, it no longer was. Elway acknowledged that he no longer had the physical tools to consistently be the player who would ultimately be enshrined in Canton, Ohio. He reluctantly chose to retire on top.

1. Jerome Bettis, 2005

Bettis had the perfect storybook finish to his Hall of Fame career, winning a Super Bowl in his hometown of Detroit and retiring on the podium with the Lombardi Trophy in hand.

A year earlier, Bettis had delivered an emotional message to his teammates shortly after the Steelers’ AFC title game loss to the Patriots. Bettis’ words left an impact on several teammates, including Hines Ward, who couldn’t hide his emotions when reporters asked him about Bettis, who had essentially told his teammates that he was retiring.

Bettis had also made an impact on Ben Roethlisberger, who pleaded with Bettis during the final moments of Pittsburgh’s loss to New England to return for the 2005 season. Roethlisberger, a rookie at the time, went so far as to promise Bettis that he would win him a Super Bowl if he returned for another season.

While his teammates surely made an impact, Bettis has said two other things also compelled him to return for the 2005 season: the fact that that year’s Super Bowl would be played in his hometown and the inspiration he received from his daughter, who was born prematurely. He said during his 2015 Hall of Fame speech that his daughter’s fight during that period inspired him to fight once more to win a Lombardi Trophy, which had eluded him to that point in his career.

Bettis, now 33, had turned back the clock the previous season, rushing for 941 yards and 13 touchdowns after starting the year as a backup. An injury to Bettis at the start of the ’05 season, however, opened the door for former undrafted rookie Willie Parker to win the starting job. Parker took full advantage of his opportunity, and when Bettis was healthy, he embraced his role as a short-yardage specialist.

Bettis was called upon to reprise his former role as the focus of Pittsburgh’s offense in Week 14, with the Steelers reeling at 7-5 and needing to win out to have a chance to make the playoffs. Bettis steamrolled through the Bears’ formidable defense, rumbling for 101 yards and two touchdowns while leading Pittsburgh to a 21-3 win. His iconic afternoon included running over Bears Hall of Fame linebacker Brian Urlacher on his way to paydirt.

Bettis’ performance sparked a four-game winning streak for the Steelers, who entered the playoffs as the AFC’s sixth seed. The Steelers then won three consecutive road playoff games, with Bettis rushing for a score in each. He received a Gatorade shower from his teammates following Pittsburgh’s decisive AFC title game win over Denver.

Back home in Detroit, Bettis was the first Steelers player to run onto the field before the start of Super Bowl XL. And while he turned in a modest stat line, with 43 yards on 14 carries, Bettis offered some advice to Parker that the latter used on a 75-yard touchdown run that helped the Steelers record a 21-10 win over the Seahawks.

After the game, Bettis received the Lombardi Trophy alongside Ward, who won game MVP honors. He then confirmed that the last stop of his Hall of Fame career was “home in Detroit.”

Bettis had a near-perfect farewell season, but it would have quickly become a nightmare if not for Roethlisberger, who chased down a Colts defender who had scooped up a Bettis fumble late in Pittsburgh’s win over Indianapolis in the AFC divisional round. Roethlisberger’s touchdown-saving tackle not only helped Bettis avoid disaster, but also eventually allowed him to give Bettis the game ball after officially making good on the promise he had made one year earlier.