Final week, the NFL formally launched its 2025 schedule. For the Pittsburgh Steelers, there are clearly a couple of key storylines. Certainly one of them is Aaron Rodgers, who appears more likely to signal with the staff however hasn’t put pen to paper but. In Week 8, the Steelers-Packers matchup is about for Sunday evening.
Though Rodgers isn’t on the Steelers roster, former Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger thinks the league had him in thoughts when making the schedule, particularly that Steelers-Packers recreation.
“Packers at Steelers, that’s the Sunday-nighter,” Roethlisberger stated on Tuesday’s episode of his Footbahlin podcast. “I do know the league got here out and stated it had nothing to do with Aaron Rodgers, extra about Mike Tomlin. I disagree with them, I believe they’re mendacity. They need Aaron to be in that recreation, clearly.”
Roethlisberger is referring to an announcement made final week from Mike North, the NFL’s VP of Broadcast Planning and Scheduling. He talked about that the Steelers’ schedule is ‘Constructed for Coach Tomlin.’
That could possibly be true. Regardless of who their quarterback is, the Steelers have remained one of many extra iconic franchises in all of American sports activities. They’re going to get their share of primetime video games yearly.
Trying on the schedule, although, it’s exhausting not to wonder if Rodgers’ potential arrival might have performed into the league’s considering. Positive, the Steelers and Packers might have been within the Sunday evening recreation anyway, given how historic each franchises are. Nonetheless, placing Rodgers’ former staff towards his new staff in a standalone, primetime matchup could be wonderful for all events.
The Packers aren’t the one matchup on the Steelers’ slate that performs into that principle, both. Pittsburgh opens up its season on the highway towards the New York Jets. Having Rodgers play his most up-to-date staff, towards a quarterback in Justin Fields who can also be taking part in his former staff to open the season, makes a ton of sense. Placing the Jets and Steelers on the primary Sunday of the season seems like one thing the league would have completed in the event that they anticipated Rodgers to signal with Pittsburgh.
That recreation actually could possibly be a revenge recreation for each events. Fields hasn’t stated something adverse about Pittsburgh since leaving city. Nonetheless, he’d most likely be completely satisfied to stay it to the staff that clearly valued him lower than New York did this offseason. Rodgers has additionally been outspoken about his displeasure with how his time ended with the Jets. There could be loads of motivation for him as nicely.
Once more, the Steelers being within the highlight is nothing new. And North might very nicely be telling the reality that they constructed the schedule for Tomlin in any case. The way in which these two matchups are scheduled is attention-grabbing, although. It’s exhausting to suppose the league doesn’t wish to play into the Rodgers facet of every recreation.
