Pittsburgh Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers isn’t going to play in the Steelers’ preseason opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars tonight, and the world may have to wait until Week 1 against the New York Jets to see him make his team debut. In an interview with Bob Labriola for Steelers.com, Labriola asked Tomlin about coaches not playing their starting quarterback at all in the preseason, and Tomlin hinted that he may not play Rodgers at all in the preseason.
“You might be looking at one in 2025. Hey, this guy has been doing this for 21 years. His cumulative snap total and what’s required for him to be ready is different than others,” Tomlin said. “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.”
It wouldn’t be new territory for Rodgers if he sat out the preseason. He’s played in just two preseason games since 2018, and he downplayed the importance of preseason games in his press conference earlier this week. While he’s new to the Steelers and new to Arthur Smith’s system, Tomlin doesn’t seem to think putting Rodgers in a preseason game can accelerate his learning process.
Yesterday, Rodgers said he feels like he’s close to having the system down and is continuing to work on it in practice. Next week’s joint practice against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which Rodgers said is more important than a preseason game, can help him master the system.
Rodgers has not traditionally played a lot of preseason football and the fact that he’s 41 years old, there’s also an injury risk if he plays during the preseason. The last thing the Steelers need is to lose Rodgers for any amount of time due to a preseason injury, and Tomlin seems content with letting him watch from the sidelines during the team’s three preseason games.
That will allow ample opportunity for the likes of Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson. Rudolph is essentially penciled in to be Pittsburgh’s QB2, but with Will Howard recovering from a thumb injury, Thompson can stake his claim to be the No. 3 quarterback, even though that feels unlikely. Logan Woodside, signed earlier this week, will also get a chance to put himself on the radar.
While there is an argument that Rodgers not playing in the preseason could lead to him not being in rhythm to start the regular season, the Steelers in particular have shown that preseason success does not equate to regular-season success. In 2023, the team’s offense was unstoppable in the preseason and then started the season flat. Last year, the offense struggled mightily during the preseason, and the Steelers started 10-3.
Even though Rodgers is new to the team, he has enough experience that Tomlin feels comfortable not playing him, so it sounds as if it’ll be a little bit longer before we see Rodgers on the field wearing the Black and Gold in a game environment.
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