Aaron Rodgers likely won't see much, if any, of the field during the preseason ahead of his debut campaign with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
With Will Howard sidelined with an injury, it was Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson handling quarterback duties for the Steelers in their preseason opener against the Jaguars. Rodgers was on the sideline with his new teammates and coaches, and although he didn't suit up for the game, he revealed he still played a role for the team.
Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, Rodgers was asked about the conversations that take place between coaches and quarterbacks through the headsets during games, and joked that his role was to serve as the voice of reason in those conversations. How he does that? By providing comic relief.
"Sometimes people freak out on there and start yelling and screaming. Or other times people are talking that shouldn't be talking. But I'm more of the comic relief on there, at least Week 1, with some timely or ill-timely jokes..." Rodgers said.
Aaron Rodgers said he’s the voice of reason — or comic relief — on the headset during the first preseason game. pic.twitter.com/ialNQ6m0Ql
— Brooke Pryor (@bepryor) August 12, 2025
Playing quarterback in the NFL with a coach giving you instructions directly into your ear can certainly be stressful, especially for a younger or less experienced quarterback. Rodgers has taken the route of trying to ease that tension with a bit of humor, though he acknowledged he's still working on his timing with some of his remarks.
The Steelers suit up again on Saturday against the Buccaneers, at which point Rodgers will have another opportunity to provide his teammates with more of his comic relief.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Aaron Rodgers Details His Unique Role for Steelers During Preseason.
