Aaron Rodgers hasn’t played in a preseason game since 2023. But when he spoke to The Athletic’s Michael Silver last week, he revealed that Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy wanted him to be on the field for 30 or 40 plays against the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets – both of Rodgers’ former teams. Even then, Rodgers sounded reluctant.

“He [wants me out there for] 30 or 40 plays” Rodgers told Silver. “I said, ‘Mike, if you want me to play, I’ll play.’ I’m not saying I want to do it. But if he wants me to, I will.”

McCarthy, meanwhile, said last week that he has “a lot of ideas” for the preseason, and noted that Rodgers was open to the suggestion.

“We have plans, but being a healthy system, let’s see what happens. A lot can happen between now and then,” McCarthy said. “He’d like to play. I would like to see him play. But we won’t make a decision until we get all the way up to it because there’s more that goes into that than just having one player play. It’s a combination of players.”

But no final decision has yet been made. In the meantime, speaking to reporters at his latest media availability, Rodgers also clarified his stance on the entire preseason.

“Preseason’s a lot different. Teams don’t run anything anymore, they just really don’t,” Rodgers said, via Steelers reporter Chris Adamski. “Even joint practices, I mean, the first year we were doing them, it was fun. Because you got to play a team that wasn’t gonna play how they’re playing in the preseason. They’re gonna show you a lot of different things they’re working on. It was like a real day at camp.

“But as that got on, it just stopped being like that, just turned into fights. And nobody showed anything because somebody’s brother is on the staff and they might show them the film and blah, blah, blah. So I think those are a waste of a day. And I think preseason football is good to see guys with the pads on, under the lights, how they react to the nerves. But it’s not real regular season football.”

Now, McCarthy is Rodgers’ old coach from their Packers days, and one of the major reasons Rodgers came back for the 2026 season. If his old mentor calls his number, Rodgers has made it clear he’ll suit up. But from his latest comments, it really doesn’t look like he wants to.

On one hand, this could be Aaron Rodgers’ chance to sync with the new roster – if McCarthy plays the first team in the preseason. The team has two new running backs they’d like to try out – veteran RB Rico Dowdle and Eli Heidenreich, the 7th-round draft pick from this year’s draft. The wide receiver room has also seen a major revamp and could use the competitive snaps with Rodgers.

But at this juncture, most teams would rather not risk their QB1’s health, conserving it instead for the grueling demands of the regular season. Either way, Mike McCarthy has a decision to make, and his veteran quarterback has already made it clear where he stands.