Aaron Rodgers jokes of celebratory Guinness and a Dublin night out after leading Pittsburgh Steelers to historic win in Ireland
Aaron Rodgers joked the Pittsburgh Steelers were off to drink celebratory Guinness on a night out in Dublin after beating the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park Sunday; Steelers defensive lineman paid tribute to late Steelers owner Dan Rooney on a historic day for the franchise
Monday 29 September 2025 06:26, UK
"What happened in the Ryder Cup, by the way? Europe still smashing them?" asked a smiling Aaron Rodgers.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback was about to be informed by reporters that yes, in fact, Europe were still 'smashing' Team USA at the Ryder Cup in New York.
"It's too bad," he chuckled.
He cared little, in truth. Rodgers cut the figure of a man loving his football amid an unforgettable week in the career of a self-professed historian like himself.
The 41-year-old had just guided the Steelers to a 24-21 victory over the Minnesota Vikings in the NFL's first-ever regular season game in Ireland. It stemmed from his own golf analogy, which had pointed towards the longevity that has allowed him to witness the league's global expansion as closely as any active player, including milestones such as that of Sunday at Croke Park.
"It's the twilight of my career," he said. "I used to say five, six, seven years ago, I was on the back nine. But I'm teeing off on 18 right now."
- Steelers beat Vikings in thriller to mark NFL history in Ireland
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Rodgers out-duelled Brian Flores and the Minnesota Vikings defense that intercepted him three times when they met in London during his time with the New York Jets last season. He completed 18 of 22 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown strike to DK Metcalf to improve to 3-1 with the Steelers this season.
It capped the perfect business trip as he clinched his first win on international soil at the third attempt.
"We're going to go over to Dublin, hit some pubs, and then take off... no, we're going straight back," he laughed.
Rodgers had embraced the visit to Ireland as much as anybody this week, admitting he would have liked to have arrived earlier in order to explore more of the country.
By now the former Super Bowl champion has seen all there is to see in the NFL. And yet an electric Croke Park atmosphere would see to him adding yet another memorable nugget to his Hall of Fame-bound career.
"I thought the atmosphere was outstanding," said Rodgers. I came out real early and in most NFL stadiums, there's like two hours when the stadium opens, and it starts to trickle in. But somebody came back in the locker room at like 11 and goes, man, there's a ton of people out there already. This is a different type of fan. So I loved it.
"I thought the crowd was fantastic. There's a lot of Terrible Towels there, but I felt like there was probably some good old Irish getting in the mix too, waving those towels around a little bit.
"The music was great. The fans were cool. We had a nice sunny Irish day, right? The whole experience was fantastic. Shout out to the country and everybody that made this happen. Win or lose, I would have said the same thing."
The Steelers were back in Ireland for the first time since playing the Chicago Bears in a preseason game at Croke Park back in 1997. It was the reward for a fierce and committed campaign that had set out to reunite the NFL franchise with its Irish heritage, with founder Art Rooney having been son to Irish immigrants from the Newry.
At one stage the Croke Park crowd broke out into a rendition of Zombie by The Cranberries, which has become something of a sporting anthem in this part of the world. With it came the quintessential sports theatre image, coupling with pre-game pyrotechnics in forming a scene the league could have only dreamed of.
"It was incredible, and hats off to the Rooney family," said outside linebacker TJ Watt. "For establishing this culture here and having this fan base follow us the way that they do, I think you have to acknowledge the Rooney family first and foremost.
"And the fans were absolutely incredible today. And I wish I could say I'm surprised, but I'm not. They're everywhere and they're incredible.(1:20) And it was a fun atmosphere today."
Art Rooney II had addressed his players on Wednesday before the game to teach them about Steelers history and their ties to Ireland. Head coach Mike Tomlin followed suit on Saturday as he reinforced a similar message as a reminder to what his team were playing for.
Both were met with a resounding answer in the form of a ferocious defensive performance, clinical Rodgers efficiency, DK Metcalf's barnstorming 80-yard touchdown catch-and-run and an unlikely hero in Kenneth Gainwell.
Steelers stalwart Cam Heyward, more than anybody, could attest to the value of Sunday's performance and result having been close to late owner Dan Rooney.
"For this, for our team and our organisation, I think me and Mike T (head coach Mike Tomlin) are the only ones that really had a relationship with Mr. Rooney, I think for us it's a big thank you," said Heyward.
"He's responsible for bringing us both in to follow 'The Chief' and see what he built. I was telling players it was uncommon for an owner to shake every man's hand and look them in their eyes and ask about their family and ask about what's going on day in and day out, training camp, practice, games.
"I could tell Art Rooney was very excited about this game. He was carrying around his hurling stick and he was explaining that sacred ground we got to play on and the importance of this game to the family. And I think that resonated with a lot of our players.
"Mr Rooney, I think we were all just very thankful to have this game here. We've had our fair share of debacles in the past, but very thankful to get the win here."
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