Steelers Legend Doesn't Believe NFL's Aaron Rodgers Explanation

The NFL sets schedules for all teams by carefully balancing logistical factors, with little regard to which players are on which teams, right? Pittsburgh Steelers legend Ben Roethlisberger doesn't think so.

The two-time Super Bowl champion has some doubts about why the league chose to schedule the Steelers' matchup with the Green Bay Packers on Sunday night during week 8. According to him, former Packers star quarterback and rumored Steelers free agency addition Aaron Rodgers was a large factor in deciding when to schedule the matchup.

"I know the league came out and said it had nothing to do with Aaron Rodgers, more about Mike Tomlin," Roethlisberger said on his podcast. "I disagree with them. I think they're lying. They want Aaron to be in that game, obviously."

The Steelers- Packers matchup was initially rumored to be the first-ever NFL game played in Dublin, Ireland, with the Steelers acting as home team. However, prior to the official schedule announcement, NFL Network revealed that it will be the Minnesota Vikings who face the Steel Curtain overseas.

It's worth nothing that the Steelers stomped Rodgers in their October 2024 game with his most recent team, the New York Jets, winning 37-15. The Steelers will face the Jets again this season in week 1, against former backup QB Justin Fields, who departed Pittsburgh for New York at the start of free agency.

If Rodgers is indeed the Steelers' starting quarterback, as many assume he will be, scheduling the matchup in the prime time Sunday slot guarantees maximum viewership across the country for the "revenge game."

The Steelers-Packers matchups go far beyond just one player, however. The teams have met in recorded matchups since 1933, with the packers leading the series 20-17. The teams even faced off in Super Bowl XLV in 2011, with Rodgers spearheading Green Bay and Roethlisberger still in as Pittsburgh's signal caller. The Steelers would lose the game 31-25.

With or without Aaron Rodgers, the Steelers will face off against the Green Bay Packers this October in a can't-miss prime time matchup.