RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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It's starting to look like the final season of Aaron Rodgers' NFL career is going to start off with a preseason revenge tour. The 42-year-old quarterback doesn't usually play in the preseason, but Mike McCarthy wants to see him out there this year.
The Steelers' new coach wants to see the four-time MVP on the field for the first two games of the preseason, and it just so happens that Pittsburgh will be facing two teams that Rodgers is very familiar with: The Green Bay Packers (Aug. 13) and the New York Jets (Aug. 21).
During a recent interview with The Athletic , Rodgers didn't sound thrilled at the idea of playing in the preseason, but he said he'll be out there if that's what McCarthy wants.
"He (wants me out there for) 30 or 40 plays," Rodgers said. "I said, 'Mike, if you want me to play, I'll play.' I'm not saying I want to do it. But if he wants me to, I will."
Preseason football isn't always must-see TV, but if Rodgers is on the field to face the Packers and the Jets, that will certainly add some intrigue to both games. The matchup against the Packers will be especially interesting with McCarthy also facing his old team. The Steelers coach spent 13 seasons in Green Bay before being fired in 2018. Back in 2010, Rodgers and McCarthy led the Packers to a Super Bowl win over the Steelers.
When McCarthy was hired as the Packers' head coach in 2006, it was pretty normal to have your starting QB play in the preseason, but over the past decade, it hasn't been as common.
Rodgers and McCarthy spent 13 seasons together in Green Bay, so the future Hall of Fame QB obviously knows McCarthy's offense well, but a few things have changed since they were last together back in 2018.
During his head-coaching stint in Dallas, McCarthy changed some of the lingo in his offense, and Rodgers is still trying to pick it up. Over the weekend, McCarthy sent in a play called "Snag Bo," which Rodgers loves, but he didn't even know what "Snag Bo" was when the call came in.
"It's one of my favorite plays going back to my rookie year -- basically a 'sit' route and a corner route -- that we always called 'Arrow,'" Rodgers told The Athletic. "I guess he calls it 'Snag' now. I've had to adjust a bit and be uncomfortable with some uncomfortable words."
That story from Rodgers is one reason training camp exists. You want to work out the kinks so there's no confusion when you get to Week 1. Of course, it's one thing to fix your mistakes in practice, and it's an entirely different thing to do it in a game. McCarthy clearly wants to ensure the offense is firing on all cylinders heading into the regular season, and the best way to do that is to have Rodgers and the unit on the field during the preseason.
If Rodgers does end up playing, it will be the most extensive preseason action he's seen in almost a decade. Rodgers saw a lot of action in 2018 during his final year with McCarthy in Green Bay, but in the seven seasons since, he's only played two preseason offensive series, both in 2023 with the Jets.
When it comes to letting your starting QB play in the preseason, every NFL coach seems to have a different philosophy. For instance, Sean McVay doesn't usually play his starters at all, and there's a zero % chance we'll see Matthew Stafford suit up in the preseason this year.
There are definitely a few reasons why playing your starters can be a bad idea, so let's take a look at why this might not be the best call for the Steelers.
1. Injuries happen and Rodgers is old. Yes, it's the preseason, but players still get injured all the time. If Aaron Rodgers is out on the field, he'll be facing off against defensive players who are trying to make the roster and the quickest way to do that is to rack up a quick sack on a soon-to-be Hall of Fame quarterback like Rodgers. The Bengals sent Joe Burrow out for some preseason action last year and he took a couple of big hits, including the one below in a game against the Commanders.
Probably don't want to see Joe Burrow doing this in a preseason game... Or in any game, for that matter. pic.twitter.com/0SgdPnU8TG
Hits like that can happen in the preseason, and if Rodgers were to get swallowed up like that, everyone in Pittsburgh would be holding their breath. QB injuries in the preseason are rare, but they do happen. The Jets lost Mark Sanchez to a season-ending injury in 2013 , and one year later, the Rams lost Sam Bradford to a preseason torn ACL . In 2016, Tony Romo injured his back in a preseason game , which set the stage for Dak Prescott to take over as the Cowboys' starting quarterback as a rookie.
Not only will there be an injury issue, but let's not forget that Rodgers is 42 years old. He's not as spry as he used to be and it's not as easy for him to escape defenders.
2. Steelers have a backup QB battle. The Steelers have one of the most intriguing backup QB battles in the NFL right now. They just used a third-round pick on Drew Allar, and he'll be competing with Mason Rudolph and 2025 sixth-round pick Will Howard for the right to back up Rodgers. It would certainly make sense to give these guys as many snaps as possible, but McCarthy obviously wants to see Rodgers get some game action, so the three backups likely won't see the field until the second quarter or later in the first two preseason games.
Putting your starters on the field in the preseason is always a risk, but the reward is that you feel like your team is better prepared for Week 1 and that's what McCarthy wants to see. With Rodgers headed into his final season, it will be almost fitting that his farewell tour begins in the preseason, with games against the only other teams he has ever played for.
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