Upon Aaron Rodgers’ retirement from the NFL, he will undoubtedly be remembered as one of the finest quarterbacks of his generation. Although this has been recognized for quite some time, Rodgers found an opportunity to reaffirm his legacy in NFL history during Week 7.
With his touchdown pass in the second quarter to Darnell Washington, Rodgers surpassed Indianapolis Colts icon Peyton Manning, moving into third place on the all-time passing touchdowns leaderboard.
Rodgers achieved this milestone with a jump ball to Washington, who overpowered a defender and somehow retained possession as he was forced out of bounds.
This touchdown put the Pittsburgh Steelers in the lead at 10-3 with approximately five minutes remaining before halftime. They ultimately triumphed over the Saints with a score of 16-10, aided by Rodgers’ late scramble for a crucial first down that allowed them to run down the clock.
With this touchdown, Rodgers has now recorded 540 passing touchdowns throughout his career. This places him behind only Drew Brees and Tom Brady.
It was only a matter of time before Rodgers overtook Manning on the all-time leaderboard. The 42-year-old quarterback began the 2026 season needing just 12 touchdowns to match Manning’s tally. He achieved this in a mere six games, and entered Week 7 just one touchdown short of taking the lead.
It seems improbable that Rodgers will climb any higher on the all-time passing touchdowns chart. Following his touchdown in the second quarter, he is now 31 touchdowns behind Brees for second place.
While it’s difficult to entirely dismiss a talent like Rodgers, scoring 31 more touchdowns in the last 10 regular-season games is a considerable challenge for any player, especially one in his 22nd season in the NFL.
If Rodgers genuinely aimed to surpass Brees, the Steelers’ quarterback would almost certainly need to extend his career for another season. However, this seems unlikely, given that Rodgers has indicated that 2026 will mark his final year in the league.
