How Many Super Bowls has Aaron Rodgers Played In?

Despite posting some of the most impressive passing numbers of the last 15 years and reaching the playoffs eleven times since becoming the Packers starter, Aaron Rodgers has only played in one Superbowl. [1]

He made the most of it though, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers 31-25 for Green Bay’s fourth title. [2]

Key Takeaways

• Aaron Rodgers reached the Super Bowl in his second year as a starter for the Packers, defeating the Pittsburgh Steelers.
• Despite several years with excellent regular season records, Rodgers has not returned to the Super Bowl since.
• Now 39 years old, Rodgers has vocally contemplated retirement several times over the last few years and the odds of him reaching another Super Bowl seems slim.

Rodgers Take the Packers to the Promised Land in His Third Year as a Starter

Despite being a first-round pick, Aaron Rodgers did not start a game during his first three years in the NFL. Instead, he was the backup to future hall of fame Brett Favre who continually oscillated between retiring and continuing to play. [3]

Rodgers finally took over as the starter in 2008, and while statistically Rodgers’ had a fine debut, the Packers sputtered to a 6-10 record. [4]

2009 saw the Packers and Rodgers improve. The team posted an 11-5 record while Rodgers was named to his first Pro Bowl, tossing 30 touchdowns against just 7 interceptions. [5]

The Packers returned to the playoffs but lost in the wild-card round to the Arizona Cardinals in overtime 51-45. [6]

Rodgers and the Packers went 10-6 the following year, finishing second in the NFC North, and would need to win three playoff road games to reach the Super Bowl. They bucked the odds, beating the Eagles and Falcons before dispatching the rival Bears in the NFC Championship. [7]

Rodgers was brilliant in their 31-25 Super Bowl victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. He threw for over 300 yards and three touchdowns and brought home Green Bay’s fourth championship. [8]

Just 27 years old and entering his prime, it seemed a safe bet that this wouldn’t be Rodgers and the Packers’ only Super Bowl appearance.   

The End of the Mike McCarthy Era

Despite reaching the playoffs each of the next six seasons, Green Bay couldn’t get past the NFC Championship game. [9]

Perhaps the most difficult loss was the year after their title when the Packers went 15-1 but lost their first playoff game against the upstart Giants 37-20. [10]

Rodgers won a pair of MVPs during that timespan and made the Pro Bowl every year except in 2013 when he only started nine games due to injury. [11]

More and more, critics levied the blame on head coach Mike McCarthy despite Rodgers’ insistence that he supported his coach. [12]

“I think people don’t understand how difficult it is to win in this league and win consistently. The success that we’ve had here, it’s tough to do. We’ve set the standard pretty high.

But I wouldn’t listen to some of those people out there. I mean, they’re not in this locker room, they’re not in the meeting rooms, they’re not in the practice environments. They don’t know what’s going on, they don’t know the type of work ethic that we have here and that Mike has here.”

Aaron Rodgers

Injuries to Rodgers torpedoed the Packer’s 2017 season and continued struggles in 2018 doomed McCarthy. The Packers fired McCarthy halfway through the 2018 season after 13 years at the helm. [13]

The 49ers Foil Rodgers and the Packers

Matt Lefleur was brought in to replace McCarthy the following season, and the change in the Packer’s offense and Rodgers was quickly evident. [14]

In three seasons with LaFleur in charge, the Packers have won the division each year while Rodgers has regained his form, winning a pair of MVP awards. [15]

But the playoff failures have continued to mount. The Packers fell to the 49ers in the NFC Championship game in 2019 and the Buccaneers in 2020, both times on the road. [16]

The Tampa Bay game included a questionable decision late by Lefleur who chose to kick a field goal instead of putting the ball in Rodgers’ hands for a potential win.

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The following year, Green Bay had the best record in the NFC and home-field advantage. But the 49ers stifled Rodgers again, holding Green Bay to 10 points and upsetting them at home in the Divisional Round. [17]

The 2022 season has been a rough one for Green Bay. As of December 17th, 2022, Green Bay had sputtered to a 5-8 record and their playoff odds sit at 8%. [18]

Now 39 years old, it’s possible that Rodgers will end his career with just one Super Bowl appearance. While he continues to play at a decent level, the star quarterback has considered retirement several times over the last couple of years and may walk away before the Packers can rebuild. [19]

References

1. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/index.htm
2. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201102060pit.htm
3. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/438280-brett-favre-timeline-of-favres-retirements-in-the-nfl
4. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2008.htm
5. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2009.htm
6. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201001100crd.htm
7. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/2010.htm
8. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201102060pit.htm
9. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/teams/gnb/
10. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/201201150gnb.htm
11. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RodgAa00.htm
12. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2676516-aaron-rodgers-comments-on-criticism-of-packers-coach-mike-mccarthy
13. https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2806406-mike-mccarthy-fired-by-packers-joe-philbin-named-interim-head-coach
14. https://ftw.usatoday.com/2019/10/aaron-rodgers-matt-lafleur-green-bay-packers-offense
15. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/R/RodgAa00.htm
16. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202001190sfo.htm
17. https://www.pro-football-reference.com/boxscores/202201220gnb.htm
18. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/2022-nfl-predictions/
19. https://www.si.com/nfl/2022/11/07/aaron-rodgers-asked-if-he-regrets-not-retiring-before-2022-season