NFL schedule maker Mike North claims they didn’t build the Steelers’ schedule assuming Aaron Rodgers would be there. But they didn’t assume he wouldn’t be, either. Earlier in the week, he insisted they built the Steelers’ schedule with HC Mike Tomlin in mind. Discussing the matter on 93.7 The Fan recently, though, he did offer one admission.
“The one game we probably did kind of pay just a touch of extra attention to was the Packers game,” he acknowledged. “Obviously, if [Aaron Rodgers] is playing quarterback for the Steelers, this would be the first time he’s playing against the Packers since he left. And that’s probably not a game that would belong at 1 o’clock on Sunday afternoon available in 15 or 20 percent of the country.”
The Packers selected Aaron Rodgers in the first round of the 2005 NFL Draft. Up until 2023, he spent his entire career there. But with the Jets, he never faced his former team. Now with the Steelers, Rodgers will play the Packers — if he signs.
And if he does, North and his crew ensured that everybody will know about it. While they weighed a potential “revenge” game for Rodgers against the Jets less heavily — but still against the Steelers in Week 1 — they just couldn’t help themselves.
And he admitted that they can’t help themselves when the storylines are available.
“If we knew today that Aaron [Rodgers] was playing for the Steelers, I’m not sure we would’ve had the restraint to schedule the Steelers for 1 o’clock on Sunday afternoon of Week 1,” he said. “I imagine he and the team would’ve been in a primetime window.”
Aaron Rodgers as the Steelers’ quarterback against the New York Jets is one thing. Aaron Rodgers as the Steelers’ quarterback against the Green Bay Packers is another thing entirely. How often does a player who is so iconic in one franchise’s history have the opportunity to play against them?
“That was probably the one game that we probably at least kind of hedged on, just a little,” North conceded.
Although “just a little” doesn’t really make sense, considering they made it a primetime game. That’s hedging all the way.
“Definitely needed to make sure that that one wasn’t lost or buried somewhere in a window where not every fan could see it,” he said. “Because that’s surely gonna be one of the storylines of the season if he does come back.”
Of course, Aaron Rodgers playing the Packers, whether with the Steelers or anybody else, would be primetime fodder. And the NFL loves its fodder. Of course, Packers-Steelers was always going to be a primetime game unless Rodgers retired or signed elsewhere. The franchises alone may have justified primetime billing, granted. But with Rodgers, there was never any question.
And now the NFL kind of admitted it, “just a touch.” Not that there’s anything wrong with that. This isn’t just a business, after all. It’s an entertainment business. People will want to see Aaron Rodgers in a Steelers uniform facing the Packers. That much is undeniable, and frankly, Mike North and company made the right decision.
