When Aaron Rodgers retires from the NFL, he will become one of the best quarterbacks of his era. Although it’s been the case for years, Rodgers found a way to remind fans of his place in NFL history in Week 7.
With his second-quarter touchdown pass to Darnell Washington, Rodgers passed Indianapolis Colts legend Peyton Manning for third place on the all-time passing touchdowns list.
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Rodgers accomplished this feat on a Washington jump ball, which intimidated a defender and somehow held the ball as it was pushed out of bounds.
The score put the Pittsburgh Steelers up 10-3 with about five minutes left before halftime. They beat the Saints 16-10, thanks to Rodgers fighting for a late first down that allowed them to bleed the clock.
With the touchdown, Rodgers now has 540 career assists. This number places Rodgers behind Drew Brees and Tom Brady.
It was only a matter of time before Rodgers passed Manning on the all-time list. Rodgers, 42, entered the 2026 season just 12 touchdowns shy of tying Manning. He reached that number in just six games and entered Week 7 just one score shy of breaking the tie.
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Rodgers is unlikely to move higher on the all-time passing touchdowns list. After his second-quarter touchdown, Rodgers is 31 touchdowns behind Brees for second place.
While it’s difficult to fully rely on a player of Rodgers’ caliber, adding 31 more touchdowns over the remaining 10 games of the regular season is a huge ask for any player, let alone a player in his 22nd NFL season.
If Rodgers really wanted to overtake Brees, the Steelers quarterback would probably have to play another season. That doesn’t seem likely after Rodgers said 2026 would be his last year in the NFL.
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