Aaron Rodgers will not play in the last preseason game with the Steelers
Fans hoping to see Aaron Rodgers’ debut with the Pittsburgh Steelers will have to wait. The 41-year-old quarterback will not play in the team’s final preseason game on Thursday against the Carolina Panthers, coach Mike Tomlin announced on Tuesday. This means Rodgers is on track to make his first start with the Steelers at MetLife Stadium in the Week 1 game against the New York Jets. Tomlin also confirmed that DK Metcalf, Cam Heyward, and T.J. Watt will also not play against the Panthers. Rodgers didn’t play a single snap in the Steelers’ preseason, following a pattern similar to his 2024 approach with the Jets, where he also didn’t play in the preseason. The last time Rodgers participated in a preseason game was in 2023, when he played one game and completed 5 of 8 attempts for 47 yards with a touchdown to receiver Garrett Wilson against the New York Giants.Although he didn’t see action in the preseason games, Rodgers worked against Tampa Bay’s starting defense in a joint practice last week. Despite the Steelers’ offense starting strong in practice with a 6-1 victory in the “Seven Shots” drill, scoring on six of seven attempts, Rodgers’ unit couldn’t move the ball at all in the two-minute drill that ended practice.Rodgers responded to the question of whether he would play on Thursday, referring to his head coach.
“I’ll do what Mike decides,” Rodgers said.
“Failure is always the best at this time of year for learning and for coaches and us to analyze,” Rodgers said, adding that there was “a lot” of tape to correct.
“I think we started the practice very well in the seven shots. Then we were attacked in the team run with very correctable things… What I loved is that there were no fans there, so they felt comfortable bringing a lot of different pressures. I think it was good work for us, especially in the protection game.”
