The NFL rarely misses an opportunity to cash in on pure entertainment. It's why so many revenge games and high-profile rematches get strategically placed in primetime slots (*cough* Packers-Bears on Christmas Day)
It's all about storylines. Drama. Memories. And it just makes their latest decision all the more frustrating.
The league finalized the preseason schedule earlier this week, with the Packers visiting the Steelers in the August opener on Thursday, August 13, in a 6 p.m. CT kickoff. It's one of two games that will raise the curtain on the preseason.
They missed an opportunity to send Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy back to Green Bay, and not just for a preseason game. Imagine the possibility of a joint practice.
Rodgers riding the bikes to practice one final time. McCarthy back at a Packers training camp, getting some time at Ray Nitschke Field. A chance to embrace Packers fans again and meet staff members he used to work with.
Almost everything is perfect, but the NFL botched the venue. This game should be in Green Bay.
The NFL has missed a golden opportunity to send Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy to Packers training camp
Matt LaFleur loves to invite preseason opponents to a joint practice the week of the game. There's no reason why these two teams can't do that in Pittsburgh, which would still bring plenty of intrigue, but imagine it in Green Bay.
Rodgers has already revealed this season will be his last. A joint practice in Green Bay would've been special.
It would've been perfect, giving us so many fun moments. That's what the NFL thrives on.
It just feels like a real scheduling botch. We know the two teams are free that week, considering they'll be meeting each other in Pittsburgh.
The idea of Rodgers, with McCarthy by his side, beginning his last dance in Green Bay would've been poetic. Barring a Super Bowl showdown between the Packers and Steelers, which would be the ultimate ending to his career, these two teams won't meet in 2026. The preseason opener will likely be the only opportunity.
But it goes beyond the game. Rodgers probably won't even play (although he'd surely play a series if the game were at Lambeau). The real missed opportunity here is not putting it in Green Bay, which would've allowed for one of the most intriguing joint practices of all time.
Hey, NFL, there's still time to change it. Give Packers fans what they deserve.
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