It's especially saddening when notable NFL quarterbacks decide to hang it up and retire. Well, could these three veteran QBs do just that after the 2024 NFL Season? We've recently seen guys like Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Ben Roethlisberger retire, which closed the door on their own NFL eras. It is quite sad to see some of the best passers the league has ever seen retire.
But that's just how this league works, as Father Time is still undefeated. Well, there are some notable QBs that are aging and still trying to make it work in the NFL. Could a few of them hang it up at the end of the 2024 NFL Season? A few that are all from the same era could do just that.
Could these 3 veteran quarterbacks retire after the 2024 NFL Season?
1. Aaron Rodgers, New York Jets
Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles just a handful of plays into the 2023 NFL Season, and he turns 41 years old in December of this year. Rodgers seems stubborn and seems like one who thinks he can play for another several years. However, Rodgers has never had to go through an injury as severe as this, so you just never know how his body will respond.
I am sure that the four-time NFL MVP does not want to retire at the end of the 2024 NFL Season, but honestly, he might be forced too. He didn't look like himself in 2022, and that was already two years ago. And in those two years, he got two years older and had to endure an Achilles injury. Aaron Rodgers is the most gifted QB to ever play in the NFL, but the end might be coming.
2. Joe Flacco, Indianapolis Colts
Joe Flacco is 39 years old and might have just cashed in one last time in the NFL. He's now with the Indianapolis Colts as their backup, and his 2023 season with the Cleveland Browns was, well, quite surprising. Flacco has never been particularly good, but he and the Baltimore Ravens did go on a magical Super Bowl run back in 2012.
Flacco threw 11 touchdowns against zero interceptions during that run, and he's been credited with a 10-6 playoff record, along with a 103-82 regular season record. Ever since 2019, which was the first year of his post-Ravens career, Flacco has thrown 33 touchdowns against 19 interceptions in 22 games started.
He's still quite serviceable as a spot starter, but with him approaching 40 years old, there just might not be a spot for him on an NFL roster after this season.
3. Russell Wilson, Pittsburgh Steelers
Russell Wilson has been in a bit of a decline since the 2022 NFL Season, and it's sad to see. At his best, there may have not been a more talented QB than Wilson, who will retire as one of the best, if not the best dual-threat QB of all-time. Now on his third team in four seasons, this might be Wilson's last chance to start in the NFL.
He's just 36 years old, so he's a few years younger than Rodgers and Flacco, but Wilson made his mark using his legs and creating plays off-schedule. That style of football is one that cannot translate well as a player ages. For that reason, Russell Wilson has not been nearly as efficient. He simply cannot play on time and win from the pocket.
That's never who he's been, and in 2024 with the Pittsburgh Steelers, he might be on his last ride. Wilson doesn't seem like someone who would admit that he isn't a viable QB anymore, but depending on if the season goes poorly, that might be facing him right in the mirror.
Could Aaron Rodgers, Joe Flacco, or Russell Wilson retire at the end of the 2024 NFL Season?