Earlier this week, Aaron Rodgers made his first appearance on his buddy Pat McAfee’s show in a long time. And as those appearances tend to, this one made headlines as well. The 41-year-old quarterback said that the 2025 season will very likely be his final one in the NFL. That’s why, the QB noted, he only signed a one-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
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It will signal the end of an illustrious career the likes of which we may not see again. He will have played 21 years in the league and leaves behind a legacy that includes four league MVPs, a Super Bowl and a Super Bowl MVP, an untouchable Hail Mary record, and all-time records for INT rate, adjusted yards per pass, and passer rating.
And yet, despite all that he’s accomplished, one analyst thinks Rodgers still needs to prove something by winning a championship in his 21st season.
On an episode of The Facility, FS1’s Emmanuel Acho said that success for Rodgers in Pittsburgh this year wouldn’t simply be his first Pro Bowl since 2021 or ending Pittsburgh’s eight-year playoff win drought, but winning a championship. Or throwing for 5,000 yards. As long as it’s something “unheralded,” whatever that may mean.
“Success to me for him is a championship or 5,000 yards. That’s it. It’s something unheralded. It is 5,000 yards, which I believe only nine or 10 quarterbacks have done,” Acho said.
“Success isn’t going 10-7, success isn’t going 9-8, success is not doing what Kenny Pickett did two years ago [by] going to the playoffs. Success … it’s a championship. It’s doing what Ray Lewis did his last year, winning a championship in Baltimore. Because that’s the category Aaron Rodgers is in. It’s doing what John Elway did… It’s doing what Peyton Manning did his last year,” added the analyst.
.@EmmanuelAcho says it’s championship or bust for Aaron Rodgers & the Steelers 👀
“It’s doing what Ray Lewis, John Elway and Peyton Manning did in their last year…That’s what category Aaron is in.” pic.twitter.com/Kv20WB1iRm
— The Facility (@TheFacilityFS1) June 25, 2025
Acho is known for overblowing his NFL credentials—he played 20 games, mostly as a reserve special teamer—and his career as a pundit has all been about ridiculous sweeping declarations. He’s looking to make headlines with rage bait and lightly researched claims, not real analysis of the NFL.
Just the other day, he put together a hilariously incompetent formula for determining greatness (# teams divided by # of championships) and was rightly humbled by the likes of Kevin Durant and many others for it.
According to The Great Kevin Durant’s legacy formula that was created in the best labs at MIT, Emmanuel is the worst linebacker of all time. You sure you wanna listen to this guy about greatness?
— Kevin Durant (@KDTrey5) June 23, 2025
This Rodgers claim is another silly one. He doesn’t need to prove anything to anyone, especially not guys like Acho. And at 41 years old and in his first season with a team that hasn’t won a playoff game in nearly a decade, asking for a championship is quite a stretch.
And 5,000 yards? Rodgers has only thrown for over 4,500 yards once, and he only has one really proven weapon on his offense in DK Metcalf. Not to mention Pittsburgh’s identity as a rough-and-tumble running offense. The Steelers haven’t even thrown for 3,500 yards in a season since Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement.
To have success in his final campaign, Rodgers simply needs to show off a few sparks of his former greatness and lead the Steelers to a drought-ending playoff win. Anything more than that should be considered gravy by Rodgers and Steelers supporters.
