‘It’s Not Real Football’ — Aaron Rodgers Makes Feelings Clear on Preseason Despite Steelers HC Mike McCarthy Wanting Him to Play
· Yahoo Sports
Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers is set to embark on his 22nd and final season in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Rodgers will end his illustrious career under coach Mike McCarthy, who coached him during his stint with the Green Bay Packers.
But as former NFL MVP suits up for one last dance, he’s not entirely on board with the plan of action just yet.
Visit forestarrow.rest for more information.
Aaron Rodgers Unenthusiastic About Playing Preseason Games
At the dusk of his career, Rodgers has opted out of preseason games, and his availability for the Steelers’ prep games this year has been up in the air.
Speaking to reporters before the Steelers’ training session, McCarthy revealed his plan to have three groups of quarterbacks play in the preseason game against the Packers on Thursday.
McCarthy did not give a definitive answer about Rodgers’ availability for the Steelers’ clash against the Packers.
“I’ve never had a quarterback that didn’t want to play. It’s really how it all fits together. Frankly, the most important part is the health of the team,” McCarthy said. “That drives these decisions. That’s where you tend to maybe pull back and maybe not play the veteran or the older guys in those situations.
“It comes down to my decision, but we’ve been talking about playing or not playing since he signed.” On the other hand, the polarizing quarterback was blunt in his comments about the value of preseason games.
REDRAFT THE ENTIRE NFL:PFN’s FREE NFL Ultimate Redraft Simulator
“It’s preseason. It’s not real football. If I play, great. If I don’t, great,” Rodgers said. “Preseason’s a lot different. Teams don’t run anything anymore; they just really don’t. It’s good to see guys with pads on, under the lights, how they react to the nerves. But it’s not real, regular-season football.”
Rodgers was willing to play in the Steelers’ preseason games last year, but coach Mike Tomlin held him out. On the other hand, Packers coach Matt LaFleur has committed to playing Jordan Love against the Steelers.
This season, the Steelers’ quarterback room consists of veteran Mason Rudolph, second-year QB Will Howard, rookie Drew Allar and Rodgers. Only Rodgers has played in a McCarthy offense and, despite turning 43 in December, will be the Steelers’ QB1 next season.
Under McCarthy, Rodgers cemented himself as a bona fide NFL superstar, winning two NFL MVP awards and defeating the Steelers to win Super Bowl XLV. The pair reached the playoffs in nine of their 13 seasons together and went to the NFC Championship Game thrice.
Despite his advanced age, Rodgers tallied 3,322 passing yards on 65.7% completion, 24 touchdowns and 7 interceptions for the Steelers last season, numbers that earned a PFN QB Impact score of 71.9, No. 29 in the NFL.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.