In The Dark Knight, Harvey Dent – or Two Face – famously said, “You either die a hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the villain.” For the Green Bay Packers’ legend, Brett Favre, that was his own making when the Packers’ Golden Boy, Aaron Rodgers, replaced him in 2008. You see, Favre never believed he owed Rodgers anything – the guidance, mentorship, nothing. After all, Rodgers’ career beginning was Favre’s career’s end.

For what it was worth, Rodgers still learned from watching him play and established himself as a future Hall of Famer. Once the team drafted Jordan Love, though, Rodgers knew the cycle was repeating. Yet, he chose to be the bigger man. Love waited three seasons before Rodgers finally left Green Bay, but throughout that time, the veteran mentored him, acting on one principle he always abided by. Now that he is officially in his final NFL season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he is not turning his back on his morals.

“To coin a phrase after a guy that I’ve followed, ‘It’s not in my job description,’” Rodgers said, “but I think it’s a great opportunity, for sure, to be able to mentor those guys.

“It means a lot to me. All the backups I’ve had over the years, and I have a good relationship still to this day with those guys. The fun I had with Will (Howard) last year. I’ll try and mentor Drew (Allar) as much as he wants me to, and keep staying on Will.”

The way Rodgers was welcomed into the starting role by a disgruntled quarterback, he knew he wanted to be better. So, when Love came to Green Bay, Rodgers was always there to help him, albeit only as much as the player in front wanted. You see, if there’s anything permanent in the NFL, it is that anyone and everyone is replaceable. Rodgers not only knew that, but made it his purpose:

“You know it’s hard to talk about that because I don’t think I knew until I was in the situation,” Rodgers had once said. “I think for the betterment of the game, it’s important to look for ways to bring along the next generation of quarterbacks.

“I think it’s just as important as a fraternity of quarterbacks over the years, you know, to help the next guy because that’s helping out a league that’s been great to you.”

As Aaron Rodgers chases Brett Favre’s record, he continues to be a better mentor

Since he entered the NFL, Rodgers has always wanted to beat Favre. With his availability for the young QBs, he has certainly done that.

Last season, he sat next to Howard in all the meetings, talking through reads and protections. Even on The Pat McAfee Show, he shared his assessment of the young QB.

“Will, in general, I think, has what it takes from a personality and a moxie standpoint to have a long career in the league,” Rodgers said. “You never know what’s going to happen till the live bullets start flying. But I went to him early in camp, and I said, ‘Listen, I’ll help you as much or as little as you want.’”

Howard came to the NFL as a National champion with Ohio State. He won the offensive MVP award for his contributions in the 2025 season. However, having someone like Rodgers certainly helped him learn a lot about how the transition into the NFL was going to be different. Howard praised the four-time MVP for his guidance last season.

“Aaron has been so willing to help me. He’s like, ‘Literally, as much or as little as you want me to help you, I’ll be there,'” said Howard in an interview with CBS Sports. “He’s already given me tips, little things here and there in the meeting room, on the field, in my drops, different little things.

“Obviously, I can’t do the things that he can do mechanically, so I don’t want to replicate that too much because that’s pretty unique. But for the most part, everything I can learn from that guy is invaluable.”

Allar, meanwhile, arrives as the 3rd round pick with his throwing motion and footwork already being rebuilt under new head coach Mike McCarthy’s staff. The Steelers drafted him while Rodgers’ future was still unsettled, and now the veteran is tying his own final season to how quickly Allar and Howard can grow.

Favre once pushed back on the idea of Rodgers mentoring Jordan Love, who replaced Rodgers in Green Bay. Favre did say that he answered questions when Rodgers asked them, but never went out of his way to do so.

Rodgers never wanted to be his narrative. But he is certainly vying to leave Favre behind in all-time stats.

The 42-year-old enters his final NFL season as the top-five in almost all passing records. Last season, he recorded 24 touchdowns to bring his career total to 527. That is already the highest in active quarterbacks, and last season, he left Favre behind as well. But there’s another record Rodgers continues to chase.

In his 22nd season in the league, Rodgers would want to overtake Favre’s total passing yards record as well. However, he will need 5,564 yards to do that. It is key to point out that while the veteran would want to break the record, he has never even totaled 4,700 yards in a season. In his last four seasons, he has not even crossed the 4000 mark. So, while a difficult milestone, one thing is certain: Rodgers is willing to do exactly what Pittsburgh asks of him — Open the season and be the role model to the young QBs.

As he mentors Howard and Allar, Rodgers will make sure whatever he leaves behind in that room is supposed to outlast him. Meanwhile, Aaron Rodgers has now said out loud that 2026 will be his last season, and also shared why he decided to come back.

One last year, on his terms

“Yes. This is it,” With just four words, Rodgers finally put all the questions to rest that have followed him since his exit from the New York Jets after the 2024 season. And this almost wouldn’t have happened if not for one coach.

When former head coach Mike Tomlin decided to step down after his 19th season with the Steelers ended in a Wild Card exit, Rodgers admitted his football career might have been over. After all, Rodgers came to Pittsburgh for Tomlin. But the Steelers knew him too well and brought in Mike McCarthy.

“When he said he (Tomlin) was stepping away, that was an emotional moment just because we all love him so much and care about him, and I thought that was probably it for me in Pittsburgh,” Rodgers said. “But when the decision was made to hire Mike, I started opening my mind back up to coming back.”

McCarthy was the head coach who gave Rodgers his start in Green Bay and helped develop him into an MVP-caliber quarterback almost two decades ago. So, after Tomlin stepped down, Rodgers actually suggested McCarthy as head coach to Steelers general manager Omar Khan. To date, the head coach is just as fond of the veteran he once knew as a rookie.

“He can throw it with anybody, but he made sure we all saw that in first practice Monday,” McCarthy said. “He still throws the ball extremely well. He’s moving, but this is the first practice, too. So he’s knocking the cobwebs off.”

No one ever wants to be replaced. But when it is out of your hands, it becomes imperative that you go with the flow. Favre’s statement used to be shorthand for veteran quarterbacks for protecting their position. Aaron Rodgers is turning the same phrase into a kind of farewell assignment.

If this really is it, the thing that will stick in Pittsburgh isn’t just that he gave them a late-career run; it’s that he decided the last item on his to-do list was making sure they didn’t need him anymore.