Aaron Rodgers is officially embarking on his final NFL season, having confirmed to reporters that he’ll hang up the cleats when the 2026/27 season comes to a close. The quarterback decided to return for one more year in the league after Mike McCarthy was hired by the Pittsburgh Steelers, since the duo had worked together previously with the Green Bay Packers.
Even at 42, it will be interesting to watch Rodgers line up under center, even as he is slated to have extended game time during the preseason.
McCarthy asked him to play in the first two preseason games for Pittsburgh, which will be against Rodgers’ previous two teams: the Packers and the New York Jets.
Ben Roethlisberger Disagrees With Steelers’ Preseason Plan for Aaron Rodgers
The veteran quarterback last played in the preseason in 2023, his first snaps with the New York Jets in a season that ultimately ended with a torn Achilles in his first game. Veterans don’t usually play in August, but the Steelers will take a different approach this time.
This plan, however, has a few critics, and one of them is a Steelers legend.
Ben Roethlisberger, who won two Super Bowls with the Steelers and lost one against Rodgers’ Packers, disagrees with McCarthy’s plan for his quarterback. Roethlisberger believes the veteran shouldn’t play in this year’s preseason.
“Last year, was it smart? Sure it was. A new offense and new team. This is his offense. He knows this. He doesn’t need to be out there in the preseason. I guess if you want some continuity. I think they said something between 30 and 60 plays for the whole preseason. I don’t know if that’s how many games or whatever, but you’re talking maybe 20 plays a game. That’s a lot.”
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Ben Roethlisberger said on his pod that he disagrees with Mike McCarthy by allowing Aaron Rodgers to play many reps during the preseason: “Last year, was it smart? Sure it was. A new offense and new team. This is his offense. He knows this. He doesn’t need to be out there in the…
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) August 5, 2026
Rodgers did not get any preseason snaps in 2025, when he had to learn a new offense. That’s not a surprise, given Mike Tomlin, the former Steelers coach, usually rests his veterans in August. Sean McVay uses the same principle, though he comes from a different generation.
Nevertheless, McCarthy’s ideas for Rodgers will be interesting to watch for one last dance. The hope is that, unlike in 2023, he doesn’t suffer a serious early-season injury that wrecks the Steelers’ chances of making the playoffs.
In 2025, Rodgers earned a 71.9 grade from our PFN QB Impact Metric. He finished the season as the No. 29 quarterback.
