Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick revealed they were dating in 2018 and broke up in 2020. The quarterback revealed that their relationship wasn’t an easy one. He talked about the retired racecar driver’s mental health and how that affected their connection.
Aaron Rodgers Claimed Danica Patrick Was Depressed as They Dated
Rodgers opened up about his personal relationships on the “Not Just Football” podcast. That included his ex-girlfriend, whom he dated before marrying Brittani in 2025.
“She had just retired. She was depressed,” the Pittsburgh Steelers player said. “But I didn’t leave her because I was trying to be there and be a good partner. Then it was going a certain direction. Obviously, there was no intimacy. It was nothing.”
The beginning of the end for them was when Rodgers and Patrick disagreed on whether to buy a Malibu home together. The football player said he didn’t want to, but they did buy a beach house for $28 million in 2019. They went to couple’s therapy, then he claimed there was “nothing there” by the time they split up.
Patrick retired in 2017 after becoming the first woman to compete full-time in NASCAR’s highest level. She was the only woman to lead in both the Daytona 500 and Indy 500.
Rodgers got engaged to Shailene Woodley after that breakup. He said on the podcast that after his December 2021 proposal, the “Divergent” star took off the ring in March. The football player said the actress told him that she didn’t want to be with him and that they were done for good.
Who Is Aaron Rodgers’ Wife, Brittani?
GettyThe football player eloped with Brittani in 2025, but he met her in 2017. “At the time, she was leaving the states and going back to Europe and my biggest regret is not begging her to stay or just, like, proposing right there,” he said on the podcast.
Rodgers claimed he was “emotionally unavailable” for seven or eight years after that because he felt like he already met the person he was meant to be with, and an ocean separated them. Brittani also got engaged to someone else. The quarterback views those years with Patrick and Woodley positively.
“I think I got a lot out of that for sure,” he said. Rodgers wore a wedding ring during minicamp in June 2025, and he confirmed it was a wedding ring, according to ESPN. They had been married for months and didn’t confirm his wife’s identity at the time.
The marriage isn’t the only major personal change in the athlete’s life. Rodgers was estranged from his family, including his brother, Jordan, who was a contestant on “The Bachelorette” Season 12 starring Joelle “JoJo” Fletcher. The season ended with Jordan and Fletcher getting engaged. She met his parents, but not the football player. They got married in 2022.
The quarterback posted pictures with his parents on Instagram in July. “Another bonding week,” he captioned the post. Rodgers hasn’t revealed more details about his marriage.
