Aaron Rodgers played the Steelers’ Oct. 12 game against the Colts with his parents, his brother Luke and Luke’s wife and kids watching from a private suite. The Steelers won 34-22. Six days later, Luke posted the photos on Instagram and wrote, “Last weekend was pretty special.” For a family that went years without speaking, that short caption carries real weight. Ed and Darla Rodgers were both there, along with Luke’s wife Aimee and their three young children. Jordan, the youngest brother, was not at the game, though he liked the post.
Aaron Rodgers family photos from the Steelers game
Most of the carousel reads like an ordinary family album, which is the point. Aaron crouches down to greet his nephew and nieces, and at one stage he cuddles his niece.
A few shots show the field, but nobody posted this set for the football. What stands out is how normal it looks. Aaron comes across as an uncle first.
How the split became public and how it ended
Nobody in the family had to explain the rift in 2016. An empty chair did it on national television. Jordan Rodgers brought JoJo Fletcher home for a family dinner on The Bachelorette, and the seat meant for his estranged brother, then a Super Bowl champion, stayed vacant.
“Me and Aaron don’t really have that much of a relationship. It’s just kind of the way he’s chosen to do life, and I’ve chosen to stay close with my family and my parents and my brother,” Jordan said during the episode. “It’s not ideal, and I love him. I can’t imagine what it’s like to be in his shoes and have the pressure he has, the demands from people that he has. I don’t have hard feelings against him. It’s just how things are right now.”
He sounded sad more than angry.
A year later, Ed told The New York Times that Aaron had not spoken to the family since 2014. “Fame can change things,” he said. He offered no more than that.
The first sign of a thaw came in July, and it surprised fans. Aaron posted photos of himself hugging Ed and Darla and reuniting with Luke. He later said it followed a few “tough conversations” with Luke and Jordan.
His wife Brittani had a hand in it too. “A big part of it was getting married and having those conversations with my wife that allowed me to kind of open up to the possibility of coming together,” Rodgers said in August.
He said the process took “a couple years,” but added, “it’s been really beautiful to reconnect with them, all of them.”