Jaguars Get First Look at Ramsey, Rodgers When Steelers Visit

Travis Hunter and the Jaguars have one home game on their preseason schedule, and it just got even better.

Former Jacksonville cornerback Jalen Ramsey – following the Monday morning trade that sent him to Pittsburgh – and new quarterback Aaron Rodgers are expected to make their unofficial Steelers debuts on Aug. 9 at EverBank Stadium.

The Jaguars took Ramsey in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2016 draft, keeping him in state after an All-America career at Florida State. He actually made his NFL debut against Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in 2016.

But Ramsey lasted just three years and three games with the Jaguars, who rather than extend his rookie contract opted to deal him to the Rams by the 2019 trade deadline.

In return, Jacksonville received the Rams’ first-round pick in 2020 (20th overall, K'Lavon Chaisson), their first-rounder pick (25th overall, Travis Etienne) and a fourth-round choice (130th overall, subsequently traded, Robert Rochell).

The Rams then traded Ramsey back to the Sunshine State in 2022, this time to Miami. The Dolphins traded the seven-time Pro Bowler again, the third trade of his career, on Monday.

The Steelers are acquiring Ramsey from Miami for two veterans, tight end Jonnu Smith and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, who returns to the team that drafted him in 2018. The deal also includes a swap of late-round selections in 2027.

Rodgers on June 7 signed a one-year contract to start for the Steelers in what he said is most likely the last season of his storied career.

That first game against Pittsburgh is significant not only because it’s the first contest for Ramsey, Rodgers and Hunter with their new teams, but also because Jacksonville won’t play another home contest until the regular-season opener, nearly a month later on Sept. 7 against Carolina.

And for a club with a new coaching staff, preseason home games are important from an operational and logistics standpoint, allowing the team a dress rehearsal before games begin counting in the standings. The Jaguars are one of four clubs that changed head coaches this offseason which have just one preseason home game (also Las Vegas, New England and the New York Jets).

This season, AFC teams are scheduled to play just one preseason home game while receiving nine regular-season home contests. NFC teams this season get two preseason home games with eight regular-season dates at home.

Ironically, the Jaguars also will see Fitzpatrick and the Dolphins during the preseason. Jacksonville visits Hard Rock Stadium on Aug. 23 after at least one day of joint practices between the teams in Miami.

The Jaguars travel to New Orleans for a Sunday preseason game in Week 2, Aug. 17. That game kicks off at 1 p.m. ET, the same time as at least 11 of the Jaguars’ regular-season contests in 2025.

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