The NFL adopted the tea leaves to arrange a possible home-run Week 1 matchup.
Whereas the league’s schedule makers — very like the remainder of the NFL group — would have most popular to know the place Aaron Rodgers will probably be taking part in in 2025, NFL vp of planning and scheduling Mike North indicated the league accounted for him probably touchdown in Pittsburgh to face his former Jets workforce to open the season.
“I feel if the league knew (Rodgers’ workforce), we in all probability would’ve scheduled that recreation for a nationwide tv window,” North instructed CBS after Wednesday’s full schedule launch.
“So at worst, it’s Justin Fields towards his previous workforce. At finest, it’s Aaron Rogers going up towards considered one of his previous groups. Have a look at what we did with Aaron Rogers’ first recreation the final two years (each Monday night time video games). If we knew one thing, I feel you’ll’ve seen it mirrored within the schedule. That being mentioned, nonetheless a great recreation.”
It appears Rodgers’ finest path to a beginning job in 2025 is both with the Steelers or the Saints, and the latter appears extra prone to make a bid for the potential Arch Manning derby than make a Rodgers push.
The NFL has proven it should characteristic Rodgers in loads of prime-time slots, as seen the final two years when the Jets opened towards the Payments and 49ers, respectively, on “Monday Night time Soccer.”
A Week 1 conflict that includes Rodgers towards a Jets workforce that he believes didn’t deal with his exit gracefully is a storyline that writes itself.
Rodgers blasted new coach Aaron Glenn and the franchise for having him fly to New Jersey for an exit assembly that he felt may have been dealt with over the cellphone and lacked “ample respect.”
Many have mentioned all through the years that Rodgers is at his finest with a chip on his shoulder — though that didn’t ring true in New York — and he absolutely can be fired as much as attempt to dissect Glenn’s protection.
Ought to Rodgers not be part of Pittsburgh, there’s nonetheless the angle, as North talked about, of Fields dealing with the Steelers, however that’s a recreation higher located for a 1 p.m. window than must-see tv.
The Steelers are three-point street favorites for the sport, even with the uninspiring quarterback room of Mason Rudolph and 2025 rookie Will Howard.
One different intriguing angle of the Rodgers-Steelers state of affairs is that Pittsburgh hosts Rodgers’ different ex-team, the Packers, in Week 8 for “Sunday Night time Soccer.”
That might characterize Rodgers’ first recreation towards the workforce that drafted him and with whom he received his lone Tremendous Bowl ring earlier than they too moved on.
The Steelers’ schedule additionally options an Eire recreation towards the Vikings, a “Thursday Night time Soccer” divisional street contest with the Bengals, a “Sunday Night time Soccer” conflict on the Chargers and a “Monday Night time Soccer” dwelling date with the Dolphins.
