If recent history tells us anything, it’s that Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is likely to get off to a slow start this season.
Rodgers didn’t play a single snap in the preseason this year and hasn’t done so since 2023, when he saw 10 snaps. And, those 10 snaps are the only preseason plays Rodgers has seen since 2021.
In the last four years, Rodgers has gotten off to a miserable start to the season. Here’s a look at his Week 1 stats in that span (H/T Football Perspective on X):
- 2021: 15-28 (53.6%), 133 YDS, 0 TD, 2 INTs
- 2022: 22-34 (64.7%), 195 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT
- 2023: 0-1 (0%), 0 YDS, 0 TD, 0 INT (torn Achilles)
- 2024: 13-21 (61.9%), 167 YDS, 1 TD, 1 INT
Yikes.
Not only does Rodgers have to buck that trend, he also has to do so while playing in a brand new offense with pass-catchers he has zero live-game reps with. That will only stack the deck against him further.
If Rodgers struggles out of the gate, there’s going to be no shortage of criticism for head coach Mike Tomlin, who was responsible for the decision not to play his quarterback in the preseason.
Rodgers made it clear he was down to play some snaps in exhibition play, but he left the decision up to Tomlin. The Steelers head coach ultimately decided he had seen enough from the future Hall of Famer in training camp to sit him.
“I’m comfortable with what I’m seeing out here,” Tomlin said. “Obviously, if I weren’t, I would be playing him.”
While we can’t say for certain how things will pan out with Rodgers in Week 1, we can say for sure that the old “rest vs. rust” debate will be reignited if he struggles.
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