Aaron Rodgers knew Brittani was "the one" in 2017. Then spent years dating the wrong people: "My biggest regret"

Aaron Rodgers says he now understands that the relationship he wanted most was in front of him years before his best-known romances began. Rodgers first met his now-wife Brittani in 2017, but she was preparing to return to Europe. Looking back, the Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback says his biggest regret was not asking her to stay or proposing at the time. Instead, he threw himself into football and later entered high-profile relationships with Danica Patrick and Shailene Woodley. Rodgers now says he knew Brittani was the person who could change his life, even when distance kept them apart.Why does Aaron Rodgers regret not proposing to Brittani in 2017?Aaron Rodgers was unusually direct about the missed opportunity during his appearance on Cam Heyward’s Not Just Football podcast."At the time, she was leaving the States and going back to Europe," Rodgers said. "And my biggest regret is not begging her to stay or proposing right there."Her departure affected him more than he expected. Rodgers said the decision sent him into what he described as a "tailspin" and left him "emotionally unavailable" for the next seven or eight years."I'd met the person that was going to change my life," he explained. "After that, I just poured everything into football."The comment adds an important layer to Rodgers' dating history. He was not simply looking back at an old relationship with regret. He said he already believed Brittani was the right person at the time, yet still allowed the relationship to slip away.What happened between Aaron Rodgers and Danica Patrick?About a year after meeting Brittani, Rodgers began dating Danica Patrick. Their relationship became public in 2018 and lasted until 2020.Rodgers has now offered a blunt account of that period, saying the relationship eventually lacked intimacy and that the pair tried couples therapy before splitting.His latest comments suggest he was entering that relationship after already carrying unresolved feelings from Brittani's departure. Rodgers did not say Patrick was simply a replacement, but his timeline makes clear that Brittani remained significant in his mind.Why did Aaron Rodgers and Shailene Woodley break up?Rodgers later became engaged to Shailene Woodley. Their relationship was publicly confirmed in 2021, but the engagement eventually ended.Rodgers has disputed Woodley's version of their breakup and recently gave his own account of what went wrong. He said the relationship had deteriorated much earlier than the eventual split suggested.That relationship now sits in striking contrast with how Rodgers describes Brittani. With Woodley, the engagement became public and ended under intense scrutiny. With Brittani, Rodgers ultimately chose privacy.When did Aaron Rodgers and Brittani get married?Rodgers confirmed in 2025 that he had secretly married Brittani, revealing little about the ceremony or their private life. He has since spoken warmly about the relationship, calling her an "incredible" wife and saying unconditional love changed his outlook on other parts of his life.He also credited Brittani with helping him reconnect with his family after years of estrangement. Rodgers said her influence was not about pressure, but about giving him a different perspective on his relationships."She was engaged, then I got engaged, and luckily, for me, we came back together," Rodgers said.For Rodgers, that reunion appears to have changed the meaning of everything that came before it. The relationships with Patrick and Woodley were highly public, but the relationship he now describes as life-changing began quietly in 2017. The quarterback's regret is not that he dated other people. It is that he says he already knew who mattered most and still let her leave.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.