Steelers Now
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — It doesn’t sound like Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers will play at all this preseason, according to head coach Mike Tomlin.
Rodgers, 41, is not expected to play in the team’s preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night.
He said earlier this week that he didn’t care if he played in the preseason at all, but that he would leave that decision up to Tomlin.
Tomlin, in an interview with the team’s website on Saturday, hinted that Rodgers might not play at all this preseason. Asked about coaches that don’t play their quarterbacks in the preseason, Tomlin said, “you might be looking at one.”
“This guy has been doing this for 21 years,” Tomlin said. “His cumulative snap total and what’s required for him to be ready is different than others. And so if I’m not adaptable and open to adjustments relative to the needs of our guys, then I’m not doing my job. And so you might be looking at one of those coaches in 2025.”
Rodgers said he doesn’t see a lot of value in preseason games in general.
“With all due respect (then I can say whatever I want), preseason football is not necessarily real football, because the defenses just don’t do a lot,” he said. “The offenses don’t ether. So you go out there with a very limited playbook against a defense that’s playing one-high zone, one-high man, two-high zone. There’s not much pressure. Oftentimes, there’s communication between the coaches about ‘hey, we’re not going to pressure this week,’ or maybe you’ll see a little pressure.”
The one area that Rodgers did say can be beneficial from a preseason standpoint is just operating the offense with a play clock, stadium radios, crowd noise, a full officiating crew and the like.
“It’s really about the operation,” he said. “If you can actually gain something from the preseason, it’s that you have 40 seconds. We have a clock out here, but it’s not always cued to it. You have 40 seconds. You call the play, get to the line of scrimmage, get us in the right situation, go out and do it.”
Rodgers also feels that joint practices, like the one the Steelers have scheduled for next Thursday with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, are a better tool for getting ready for the season.
“[Teams are] less worried about showing things,” Rodgers said. “And even though there are usually cameras there, it’s filmed, they’re less skittish about running stuff they’ve been running all camp, and they’re trying to do in the regular season against another team they’re not going to play in the regular season.
“I find it real beneficial. As long as there’s no fights, they’re a good work day.”
This article originally appeared on Steelers Now: Mike Tomlin: Aaron Rodgers Might Not Play in Preseason
