NFL executive addresses Aaron Rodgers, Patrick Mahomes narratives about 2026 schedule

As numerous 2026 NFL regular-season schedule leaks emerged throughout the week, fans understandably began speculating that the league had inside information regarding Aaron Rodgers' situation with the Pittsburgh Steelers and the injury recovery of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes. 

For a piece that was published after the entire 2026 schedule was made public on Thursday evening, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated spoke with NFL executive vice president of media distribution Hans Schroeder about the Rodgers and Mahomes narratives. 

The Steelers are "a national brand" with or without Aaron Rodgers

"Pittsburgh’s a national brand," Schroeder explained. "I don’t remember the last time they had a losing record; it would’ve been more than 20 years ago. They’ve played with different quarterbacks, and they’re still really competitive. … Obviously, it’ll be exciting to see what happens with Aaron as they get that situation resolved one way or another."

Schroeder is right about the Steelers having a massive fan base that travels well to each game and that watches national broadcasts throughout campaigns. As ESPN's Brooke Pryor noted, however, schedule-makers seemed to be "banking on" Rodgers' return, as they put the Steelers in six standalone windows and in four standalone games across five weeks. 

For what it is worth, Steelers defensive lineman Cameron Heyward may have revealed on the latest edition of his podcast that he knows Rodgers will soon be back atop Pittsburgh's depth chart. 

NFL banking on Chiefs' popularity for schedule

As for the Chiefs, Pro Football Talk's Josh Alper pointed out that Kansas City is scheduled for six prime-time games, two of which open the team's season. Earlier on Thursday, ESPN's Adam Schefter said there is a "realistic chance" that Mahomes will start the Chiefs' Week 1 "Monday Night Football" home game versus the rival Denver Broncos on Sept. 14. 

“And similar to the Chiefs," Schroeder continued. "The Chiefs are one of the most popular teams in the league; they have a huge following. We certainly are hopeful that Patrick will be back in Week 1. We read the same stories everyone else does, but we think [Andy Reid is] a heck of a coach, a heck of a team."

On Thursday evening, Reid declined to guarantee anything about Mahomes' status for the Denver game. The Chiefs' popularity is linked with their dynastic run and the fact that Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce is engaged to Taylor Swift, perhaps the most famous entertainment superstar on the planet. That said, it certainly appears to outsiders that Schroeder and Co. expect that Mahomes will take the field for the final game of Week 1.