Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy are getting the band back together for one final run.
We've known for months that the Green Bay Packers will meet the Pittsburgh Steelers in the preseason opener, but it was never expected to be more than a few pleasantries, catch-ups, and a brief trip down memory lane. Nobody expected Aaron Rodgers to actually play.
Rodgers doesn't do preseason games. We know this. Turns out, that's likely to change when the Packers visit Acrisure Stadium on August 13.
In an interview with Michael Silver of The Athletic, Rodgers revealed that McCarthy has asked him to play "30 or 40" snaps in the Steelers' first two preseason games. Rodgers agreed.
The preseason stars have aligned, as those two games will come against *checks notes* the Packers and New York Jets. I don't care that these are "meaningless" games. You couldn't make it up.
The first stop of the Aaron Rodgers-Mike McCarthy will involve the Packers
Rodgers will play a meaningful number of snaps. McCarthy won't unveil his full playbook, nor will the game count toward the real standings, but it'll still be a surreal moment to see the Packers' iconic coach-quarterback partnership reunited on the opposite sideline.
When you think of a Packers-Steelers game featuring Rodgers and McCarthy, the first thought is Super Bowl XLV. Who'd have imagined them on the other side of the rivalry?
The biggest disappointment is the NFL not putting this game at Lambeau Field. Imagine that. Especially if McCarthy and Matt LaFleur opted to hold a joint practice at Ray Nitschke Field.
Unfortunately, the last Rodgers-McCarthy preseason game in Pittsburgh will bring back some bad memories. It was August 23, 2015, the day Jordy Nelson suffered a torn ACL, a moment that derailed the Packers' season and began the slow downfall of the team's dominant era.
OK, sorry to bring that up. That was well over a decade ago.
It won't be Rodgers' first game against the Packers, of course. That came in Green Bay's most recent visit to Pittsburgh a year ago. Jordan Love completed 20 consecutive passes, which tied Brett Favre's franchise record, to secure a 35-25 victory over his mentor.
Rodgers is guaranteed to end his career without a victory over the Packers barring a rematch between the two teams in next February's Super Bowl. It's the only team he's never beaten. And, no, this preseason game won't count.
Rodgers has said this season will be his last. It's only fitting that he'll have McCarthy by his side, and even more perfect that the first warm-up to their revenge tour is a date with the Packers.
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