Aaron Rodgers entered the NFL in 2005 — just as Deion Sanders was leaving.
The two pro football stars overlapped for a brief time, with Rodgers facing off against Sanders as a rookie quarterback during the legendary corner’s final 2005 season.
Now, 20 years later, Rodgers, 42, is set to face off against Deion’s son, Shedeur, during the Pittsburgh Steelers game against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday, December 28.
“I’ve followed Shedeur’s career, like any football fan who watched him go from Jackson to Boulder,” Rodgers told the media ahead of the game this week. “And being a former Pac 12 school I was pulling for him.”
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Rodgers was drafted by the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft, but did not start a game until the 2008 season.
Shedeur, on the other hand, fell to the fifth round of the 2025 Draft, but has already started five games for the Browns in his rookie year.
“You know, there was a tough draft slide; obviously, much longer wait than mine was,” Rodgers said of Shedeur. “But it seems like he’s been patient, and he’s worked on his craft, and he’s been playing pretty good the last few weeks.”
Rodgers’ matchup against the elder Sanders two decades ago was a 48-3 loss for the Packers. He replaced Brett Favre in the third quarter, throwing for 65 yards on 8-of-15 passing. He threw an interception, but not to Sanders.
“Yeah, I didn’t throw him a pick, thankfully,” Rodgers said. “But he was playing in Baltimore in 2005 when we went down there on Monday night. And I came in the game. We were down 41-3, and I had a fun exchange with him between the third and fourth quarters.”
It’s not the first time Rodgers is facing off against multiple generations of players. As someone who’s been in the league for 20 years, that comes naturally.
To Rodgers, he sees that as a positive.
“I’ve played with relatives or fathers, against them,” Rodgers said. “Cincinnati has Kris Jenkins, I played with his uncle. Tampa has Antoine Winfield Jr., played against his dad for a number of years. Obviously, Joey [Porter Jr.] in here, played against his dad. So, it’s fun because it means I’m still playing.”
Rodgers leads the Steelers (9-6) into Cleveland on Sunday with an opportunity to clinch the AFC North and a playoff spot with a win. Pittsburgh has not won in Cleveland since 2021.
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The Browns, at 3-12, are out of the playoffs, but defensive end Myles Garrett has a chance to set the all-time sacks record on Sunday, against the “legendary” Rodgers.
Garrett told reporters this week that setting that record against Rodgers would be “special.”
“[Rodgers is] legendary himself, and it’s a legendary record I’m here chasing,” Garrett said on Friday, December 26. “That’d be a great one to put a picture on the wall with.”
Garrett, with 22 sacks this year, is a half-sack away from tying the single-season record, currently held by Pro Football Hall of Famer Michael Strahan and Steelers defensive end TJ Watt. With a full sack on Sunday, Garrett will hold the record himself.
