Aaron Rodgers is the new quarterback running the show for the Pittsburgh Steelers. After signing a one-year contract in free agency, which Rodgers has said will be his final year in the NFL, he’s looking to make a championship run with one of the most stories franchises in league history.

Heading into the 2025 NFL season, no one knows exactly what to expect from Rodgers.

On one hand, he is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play in the NFL. However, he is now 41 years old and is coming off of a rough two-year stretch with the New York Jets.

Last season, Rodgers played well individually. Unfortunately, the Jets were unable to come together as a team to win football games.

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He ended up completing 63 percent of his pass attempts for 3,897 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. Those numbers were solid and would make the Steelers a team to watch in the AFC if he can replicate them.

That being said, there are concerns about Rodgers’ ability to hit the ground running with his new team to begin the year.

Keeping that in mind, a former NFL defensive back has spoken out with a major warning about Rodgers to Pittsburgh.

Domonique Foxworth, a former defensive back and current ESPN analyst, has cautioned that not playing Rodgers during the preseason is a mistake.

“Things didn’t go great for Aaron Rodgers last year when he sat out the preseason, but he’s on a new team with a new offensive line, new receivers. Just everything around him is new,” Foxworth said.

“I would expect him to want to get a few reps, and of course there’s still more time, but the idea that you can miss the offseason program, which he did, and just parachute in and pick this thing up and hit the ground running seems a little bit challenging to me. So I’d love to see him get some time. But I mean, Mike Tomlin kind of knows what he’s doing, I guess.”

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Those are all very good points. Rodgers likely doesn’t need preseason action for his own personal reasons. Putting him on the field so that the entire offense can gel together could be crucial.

It seems that Tomlin has made his decision that Rodgers won’t be playing during the preseason. Should he stick with that decision, it will be interesting to see how the Steelers’ offense performs in the first couple of weeks to start the season.

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