Rodgers and his parents have been estranged for nearly a dozen years and perhaps longer.But on Monday evening the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback posted on Instagram new photos of himself with his mother Darla Rodgers and father Ed Rodgers.SUPER BOWL CHAMPION JOE THEISMANN REVEALS KEY FACTOR IN AARON RODGERS DECISION TO RETURN TO STEELERSAnd there seemed to be a good amount of joy in the snapshots.Rodgers is seen in one photo with his arm around his mom while she embraces him with both arms.Both are smiling at the camera.Rodgers and his father can be seen in the next photograph standing side-by-side, smiling, with their arms around each other's backs."Another bonding week," Rodgers wrote.And then he added the hashtag "#fam."Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers listens to head coach Mike McCarthy during NFL practice in Pittsburgh on May 20, 2026.
(Gene J.Puskar/AP)This is not nothing.The estrangement between Rodgers and his parents has been one of the NFL's most-discussed family stories despite the fact neither the quarterback nor his parents have ever pointed to one critical reason for the problem.Most reporting is based on observations from family members, friends, former partners, and Rodgers' own comments over time.
All of those have sometimes been used to paint Rodgers in a certain way – usually as aloof or haughty in articles that typically were unflattering.Ed told the New York Times years ago that the family stopped communicating with Rodgers around 2014."It's complicated," he said of the reason.Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers looks on after being sacked during the first half of the NFL Wild Card game against the Houston Texans at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pa., on Jan.12, 2026.
(Michael Longo/For USA Today Network-PA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images)The situation became widely known when younger brother Jordan Rodgers appeared on ABC's "The Bachelorette" show and said, "Me and Aaron don't really have that much of a relati...