Aaron Rodgers All Smiles With Parents Months Before Instagram Reveal

Aaron Rodgers' family reunion didn't start this week despite what fans may think ... 'cause TMZ has learned the Steelers QB had already reunited with his parents months before he publicly revealed they'd reconciled.

In footage obtained by TMZ from April, Aaron is seen chatting, laughing, and spending time with his mom, Darla, and dad, Ed, at the inaugural Pleasant Valley High School Athletics Hall of Fame dinner in Chico, California, where he was inducted as a member of the first-ever class.

Aaron also gave a speech during the ceremony, thanking his parents ... another sign the family's yearslong rift had already begun to heal well before anyone knew.

The timing is significant because fans only learned the Rodgers family had reunited this week after Aaron posted a series of Instagram photos featuring his parents and brother Luke, captioning the post, "Another bonding week #fam."

That sparked widespread belief the reconciliation was a recent development ... but our footage shows it had actually been underway for at least several months.

As we've reported, Aaron's family estrangement first became public in 2016 after brother Jordan Rodgers appeared on "The Bachelorette." Aaron later addressed the fractured relationship in his Netflix docuseries, "Aaron Rodgers: Enigma," and on "The Pat McAfee Show," where he discussed years of tension with his family.