Aaron Rodgers drops F-bomb and slams 'Twitter experts' in fiery presser as retirement looms

NFL legend Aaron Rodgers is expected to hang up the boots after the Pittsburgh Steelers were eliminated from the playoffs by the Houston Texans.

But the 42-year-old went down swinging in his post-game press conference, taking aim at media and "Twitter experts" in defence of embattled coach Mike Tomlin.

Rodgers' likely last ever throw in the NFL was intercepted and returned for a pick six as the Steelers were thrashed 30-6 in the wildcard round on Tuesday (AEDT).

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The quarterback attempted to shoulder tackle the Texans defender but missed, before watching the final minutes of the game from the bench.

"I think we are watching Aaron Rodgers' last game," Troy Aikman said on commentary.

"Who knows what next year might hold if he wants to come in (mid-season) if a team needs a quarterback, but I doubt that will happen.

"I don't imagine he'll say he wants to come back."

Rodgers is yet to officially confirm he will retire, but has hinted that the 2025 season would be his last after a glittering career that included four league MVP awards and a Super Bowl victory with the Green Bay Packers in 2010.

Speaking post-game, Rodgers was asked about his future but quickly shut it down.

"I'm not gonna make any emotional decisions," he said.

"I'm disappointed, it was such a fun year. A lot of adversity, but it's been a great year … but I'm not gonna talk about that. I will just get away and have the right conversations." 

Rodgers' career has been rocky since leaving Green Bay. His first season with the New York Jets ended in the first quarter of week one after a torn Achilles.

A second season with New York went nowhere, before this final run with the Steelers ultimately concluded in the wildcard round.

The emotion that Rodgers was referring to came out on full-display when asked about Tomlin, who is the longest-tenured current coach in the NFL.

After another season where the Steelers only just snuck into the post-season, only to get blown out in the first round, Tomlin is under immense pressure.

Pittsburgh have now lost seven-straight playoff games, but Rodgers wasn't hearing it when asked by reports whether Tomlin should remain at the helm.

"This league has changed a lot in my 21 years," he said.

"When you hear conversations about the Mike Tomlin's and [Green Bay coach] Matt LaFleur's of the world - two that I've played for - and when I first got in the league, there wouldn't be conversations about whether those guys were on the hot seat.

"The way that the league is covered now and there's snap decisions and validity given to the Twitter experts and experts on TV, who make it seem like they know what the hell they're talking about - to me that's an absolute joke. For either of those two guys to be in the hot seat is apropos of where we're at as a society and as a league.

"Matt's done a lot of great things in Green Bay and we had a lot of success. Mike T has had more success than damn near anybody in the league, for the last 19 or 20 years.

"When you have the right guy and the culture is right, you don't think about making a change. There's a lot of pressure that comes from the outside and that sways decisions - but it's not how I would do things."

Rodgers was then asked a follow-up question, delivering an F-bomb in response before walking out of what could possibly be the last press conference of his playing career.

"I've answered that a number of times ... I've talked extensively about how I feel about Mike and I just did in that f-----g answer," he said.

Pittsburgh fought a low scoring battle with the Texans for much of the game, with the score stuck at 7-6 heading into the fourth quarter before things quickly derailed as Houston scored 23 unanswered points to finish the game.

A fumble from Rodgers was returned for a touchdown, coupled with the late pick six, accounting for 13 of those points.

After the final interception, the Steelers made the call to leave Rodgers on the bench for the final stages of the game, bringing in back-up Mason Rudolph.

Tomlin's tenure as coach will be a hot topic in the days and weeks that follow the loss to the Texans - but according to Aikman, it's unlikely the Steelers would fire him.

"As far as Mike Tomlin goes, I can't imagine him not being back unless he decides he doesn't want to be back," he said.

"But after what happened to [Baltimore Ravens coach] John Harbaugh, this is a crazy league, so who knows what might happen."