QB Aaron Rodgers did not sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers (or anyone, for that matter) before the Steelers unveiled their 2025 schedule. That led to some interesting decisions made by the NFL when it came to scheduling the Steelers. They play Rodgers’ previous two teams, the New York Jets and the Green Bay Packers.
The Steelers head to New York to take on the Jets in Week 1. In Week 8, the Steelers welcome the Packers to Pittsburgh. The big difference in terms of the schedule? The Steelers-Jets matchup is a 1 PM kickoff, while the Packers game will be on Sunday Night Football.
Why the difference, though? Well, according to NFL VP of Broadcast Planning and Scheduling Mike North, the league doesn’t know if Rodgers will be the Steelers’ quarterback. So that does make the Jets game a little less appealing. But the Packers game? That’s got appeal.
“If they knew for certain Aaron Rodgers was going to play for the Steelers, they might’ve done something different with the Week 1 Steelers-Jets matchup,” North said, according to ESPN’s Brooke Pryor in an X/Twitter post on Thursday. “The Week 8 SNF game vs. Packers was slated for primetime [because] it’s interesting no matter what.”
There is still an interesting storyline regardless of who the Steelers’ quarterback is in Week 1 against the Jets. After all, former Steelers QB Justin Fields is now with the Jets. But he only started six games in 2024 for the Steelers, who eventually limped into the playoffs and finished their season on a five-game losing streak. Meanwhile, the Jets were a mess, firing head coach Robert Saleh midseason. It’s an interesting matchup, but it’s not a prime-time matchup without Aaron Rodgers. If Rodgers signs, then it’s got all the makings of a truly petty revenge game.
Meanwhile, the Week 8 matchup between the Steelers and the Packers is between two of the league’s most storied franchises.
“If Aaron is the quarterback, it’s a great story,” North said per Tribune-Review Steelers reporter Joe Rutter. “If Aaron’s not the quarterback, it’s still Packers-Steelers. We tried to play it down the middle.”
It’s a matchup between four-time Super Bowl winners in Green Bay (and nine other league championships, pre-Super Bowl era) and six-time Super Bowl winners in the Steelers. The Packers have the most league trophies when you count both eras. The Steelers are tied for the most Super Bowl wins in the modern era. It’s a matchup steeped in NFL history.
And the last time these two teams faced off, it went down to the wire. In 2023, the Steelers escaped with a 23-19 win after S Damontae Kazee picked off Packers QB Jordan Love’s last-second throw. You know that Love will want revenge, even if Kazee isn’t in Pittsburgh anymore.
While the league would love it, storyline-wise, if Aaron Rodgers signs with the Steelers, NFL officials build the team’s schedule on who they know is there. And head coach Mike Tomlin and company are enough to get four primetime games, including against the Packers.
“The schedule was built for Coach Tomlin and the Steelers,” North said per Rutter. “If Aaron decides to play, the Steelers games become a little more interesting.”
North expounded on that thought when he joined the Rich Eisen Show on Thursday.
“Steelers are still the Steelers, right?” North said. “Coach never had a losing season. They’re always in the playoff hunt. You roll the dice on the teams that you think are going to matter; the Steelers usually do. They certainly probably get a little more interesting with a certain future Hall of Fame quarterback under center.”
They certainly would. Especially that Week 1 matchup against the Jets.
