Aaron Rodgers is giving his side of the story when it comes to his past relationship with Danica Patrick.
The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback, 42, opened up about his relationship with the retired race car driver, 44, during an appearance on the Not Just Football with Cam Heyward podcast on Thursday, Sept. 10. Rodgers and Patrick dated for more than two years before ending their relationship in 2020.
Looking back on their romance, Rodgers admitted that the relationship became difficult, particularly after Patrick retired from professional racing.
“I dated Danica. She had just retired,” Rodgers said. He claimed that Patrick was struggling emotionally at the time and said he chose to remain by her side because he wanted to support her and be a good partner.
According to Rodgers, however, their relationship eventually became increasingly distant.
He recalled that there was little connection between them toward the end of their romance, saying that there was “no intimacy” and that the relationship had essentially reached a point where “there was nothing.”
Rodgers also remembered a conversation surrounding a home he was planning to purchase in Malibu. He said Patrick asked whether he wanted to buy the property together, but he declined.
The former couple later tried couples counseling after Patrick suggested it, according to Rodgers. Despite their efforts, they ultimately went their separate ways in July 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Rodgers also addressed comments Patrick made about their breakup during a 2025 appearance on The Sage Steele Show. At the time, Patrick described their relationship as “emotionally abusive” and said that it had “wore me down to nothing.” She also claimed that Rodgers left “a trail of blood” following their relationship.
Rodgers strongly disputed that account, saying that he was confused by the way Patrick later described their split.
“She tells a story that, ‘I was so blindsided by getting left by you,’” Rodgers said, adding that her description of him leaving “a trail of blood” did not match his recollection of what happened.
PEOPLE has reached out to a representative for Patrick for comment.
During the same podcast appearance, Rodgers also reflected on his personal life before and after his relationship with Patrick.
He revealed that he had met his now-wife, Brittani, in 2017, before he began dating Patrick. According to Rodgers, Brittani later moved to Europe, and he spent years regretting that he had not asked her to stay or proposed to her at the time.
Rodgers said those unresolved feelings affected him emotionally and contributed to him throwing himself into his football career.
“I was emotionally unavailable, I think, for those seven or eight years because I met the person that had changed my life,” he explained.
He said the two eventually went their separate ways, with Brittani becoming engaged and Rodgers later becoming engaged himself. However, they ultimately found their way back to each other.
Rodgers also brought up his former relationship with actress Shailene Woodley, whom he dated from 2021 to 2022, saying that both relationships have been surrounded by public speculation that he believes does not accurately reflect what happened privately.
The NFL star said that people have repeatedly formed opinions about him based on stories surrounding his relationships, while knowing very little about what was actually happening behind closed doors.
“There’s just narratives out there,” Rodgers said, arguing that the public had developed a particular image of him without knowing the full story.
His candid comments offer a rare glimpse into Rodgers’ perspective on some of the most closely watched relationships of his personal life, while highlighting just how differently former partners can remember the same chapter of their lives.
