Aaron Rodgers said he will play preseason opener if asked

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Aaron Rodgers rarely participates in preseason games, but the first-year Pittsburgh quarterback is willing to step up if Steelers coach Mike Tomlin asks.

Pittsburgh opens its preseason schedule at the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday, and Rodgers said he expects to have “an interesting conversation” with Tomlin regarding his reps in the matchup.

“I don’t think it’s in the plan for me to play this week,” Rodgers said, “but whatever Mike wants to do, I’m fully on board.”

The NFL’s oldest active player, Rodgers, 41, appeared in an exhibition game for the New York Jets two years ago. But you would have to go back to 2018 to find his previous performance in a game that did not count.

Pittsburgh has four quarterbacks on its depth chart, with Mason Rudolph backing up Rodgers, who ranks fifth and seventh in career passing touchdowns and yards, respectively, and signed a one-year deal in June.

Rookie Will Howard is listed as the third-string QB, although the national champion from Ohio State will not be available on Saturday with a hand injury after smacking it against a helmet in Tuesday’s practice. Skylar Thompson is QB4 on the depth chart.

While Rodgers said he’s “totally on board” with playing preseason reps if Tomlin requests him to, he told 93.7 The Fan that “preseason football is not necessarily real football, because defenses don’t really do a lot.”

For his part, Tomlin was non-committal about Rodgers’ participation in the exhibition opener.

“I can’t see past Wednesday at this juncture,” Tomlin told reporters. “At this stage of development, Saturday is a long way away. Seriously, we’re just trying to have good days.”

–Field Level Media