Ben Roethlisberger was right to criticize Mike McCarthy's plan for Aaron Rodgers

Former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger strongly disagrees with new head coach Mike McCarthy's preseason plan for current QB Aaron Rodgers.  

Rodgers told The Athletic's Michael Silver for a story published Monday that McCarthy wants him to play "30 to 40 snaps" in Pittsburgh's first two preseason games against the Green Bay Packers (Aug. 13) and the New York Jets (Aug. 21). Roethlisberger thinks he should play way fewer.

Ben Roethlisberger slams Mike McCarthy's Aaron Rodgers plan 

"Last year, was it smart? Sure it was. A new offense and a new team," Roethlisberger said Tuesday on his "Footbahlin" podcast. "This is his offense. He knows this. He doesn't need to be out there in the preseason. I guess if you want some continuity. I think they said something between 30 and 60 plays for the whole preseason. I don't know if that's how many games or whatever, but you're talking maybe 20 plays a game. That's a lot."

McCarthy may want Rodgers to play a substantial amount during the preseason to shorten the learning curve for the rest of the team. He played for the former Packers HC in 13 of his 18 seasons in Green Bay, making him an expert in the system. Roethlisberger believes that shouldn't come at the sake of taking reps away from QBs Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar. 

"Roughly 20 snaps a game is a lot," Roethlisberger said. "Not only is it a lot for your quarterback, the Hall of Famer you built this team around, but what it also does. More importantly, it takes all those reps away from other guys. Have Aaron go one series. Let him go one series, whatever that entails, and pull him out. Then I'd go right to whoever is next. Don't take reps away from those other guys for a Hall of Fame guy that already knows this offense. That's my argument. Like, man, let's get reps for those other guys." 

And those other guys, mainly Howard (2025 sixth-round pick) and Allar (2026 third-round pick), need more reps for when they potentially replace Rodgers. The 42-year-old QB recently hinted the 2026 season will be his "last rodeo."

McCarthy wants to give the Steelers their best chance to win in 2026, and playing Rodgers in the preseason may do just that. The coach, however, doesn't want to forget what's best for the franchise in the long term, such as finding a potential successor to the four-time league MVP sooner rather than later. Playing Howard and Allar plenty in the preseason will give Pittsburgh a better idea of whether either can develop into the heir apparent at the most important position.