Report: Mike McCarthy to ‘pare down game plan’

Rodgers’ first throw of the game came on a 30-yard dump-off to Jaylen Warren, but three plays later, Rodgers would connect with a wide-open Roman Wilson down the left sideline for a 38-yard touchdown. That would be the first of two touchdowns Rodgers would throw in the first quarter, with his second coming on a play-action pass to Ben Skowronek for a 23-yard score. Rodgers and the offense would stall a bit in the second quarter, with an interception on a dropped pass by Roman Wilson highlighting their struggles, but in the second half, the Steelers would rip off four plays for 20-plus yards to keep the pressure on the Bengals’ defense. Rodgers threw a six-yard touchdown pass to DK Metcalf in the third quarter to put the Steelers up 24-20, and benefited from a long catch-and-run by Darnell Washington on a 47-yard play that helped set up an eventual field goal by Chris Boswell. This was easily the best game of the season for Rodgers, who averaged a solid 7.1 ADOT on his completed passes against a Bengals defense that was solid through the first two weeks. Despite the strong outing, Rodgers shouldn’t be viewed as anything more than a QB2 in Thursday’s game against the Browns.

Rodgers led an anemic offense in a defense-heavy matchup with the Patriots for Week 2. The Steelers began the day with a couple of three-and-outs and were unable to find chunk plays the whole game. Rodgers fumbled in the second quarter on a play that pushed the Steelers back 37 yards due to a game of pinball in an effort to scoop up the ball; the play kicked the Steelers out of field goal territory. He later fumbled for a Pats scoop-and-score in the fourth quarter. Rodgers’ second turnover was an interception coming off a Germie Bernard bobble in the fourth quarter. A 4.8 yards per attempt mark indicates an offense that cannot push the ball downfield. Fantasy managers will not see chunk gains from Rodgers, who should be a fantasy QB3 for Week 3 against the Bengals.

Rodgers averaged just 5.5 yards per completion and didn’t complete a single pass over 20 yards downfield, going 0-for-6. He was also just 4-for-14 for 64 yards when he was under pressure. That being said, he also didn’t make many bad decisions and threw a couple of beautiful passes in tight windows over the middle of the field. It’s a new season, but this doesn’t really feel much like a new Steelers’ offense, which means the ceiling might be low when it comes to fantasy production. Rodgers remains just a QB2 option next week against the Patriots.

The Steelers will head into the regular season with Aaron Rodgers, Mason Rudolph, Will Howard, and Drew Allar, who shined in training camp and during preseason outings in Mike McCarthy’s offense. If the 2026 season goes south for Pittsburgh, look for McCarthy to see what he has in Allar and perhaps Howard. Rudolph will likely back up Rodgers to start the regular season.

Rodgers may not play at all, and reports indicate that he, personally, could go either way on the matter. Steelers coach Mike McCarthy plans to play quarterbacks in three groups. The first two will split first-half reps, while the third plays for the entire second half. Shortly after this report, during pre-game warmups, Pryor said that “all signs are pointing to Rodgers being on the bench tonight.”

Rodgers didn’t take a preseason snap for the Steelers last season, but it sounds like the 42-year-old vet will be on the field for each of the Steelers’ first two preseason games this year. Interestingly, they are against the Packers and Jets. Speaking with The Athletic’s Michael Silver, Rodgers didn’t seem particularly excited about taking preseason snaps, but said, “If (McCarthy) wants me to, I will.”

McCarthy will coach QB Aaron Rodgers for the first time since 2018, which was McCarthy’s final season with the Packers. Rodgers remained in Green Bay until 2022. McCarthy’s pre-snap shift rates fluctuated significantly over his final three seasons with the Packers and generally hovered around the league average during his 2020-24 run with the Cowboys. Rodgers is reportedly looking forward to returning to the updated version of his old scheme and should have little issue adjusting to McCarthy’s offensive wrinkle. The Steelers’ 63.9 percent pre-snap shift rate ranked 21st last year. Agreeing on terminology appears to be the only real issue that the two are working through, which Rodgers says he will be “stubborn about,” but is a natural part of the growing process.

For the first time in a long time, Rodgers isn’t stringing anyone along or drawing out a decision for months. When asked if this was his final year, Rodgers responded point-blank, “Yes. This is it.” He told reporters he thought he was done after Mike Tomlin walked away, but the hiring of Mike McCarthy eventually changed his mind. Rodgers did, however, wait until after the draft and then some to make his decision. The hope for Steelers fans is that McCarthy will get more out of Rodgers than Arthur Smith did, though we remain skeptical that there is much left in the tank as Rodgers enters his age-43 season.

Howard is set to compete with veteran Mason Rudolph for backup duties to begin the season. Rudolph and Howard were splitting reps in the team’s offseason program last month. NFL Network reported in January that Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy “likes Will Howard a lot” and sees potential in his offensive system. “I’m not saying the Steelers believe Will Howard will be the quarterback for ten years after Aaron Rodgers is gone,” Breer said. “But I do think Mike McCarthy sees a little something there and wanted to take a closer look.” Howard, going into his age-25 season, threw for 4,010 yards, 35 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions during his final collegiate season at Ohio State in 2024. He ranked fourth among all CFB quarterbacks in adjusted yards per attempt that season.

After signing a one-year deal with the team over the weekend, Rodgers is officially back in Pittsburgh for the start of next season. The 42-year-old signal-caller was “one of the first guys in the building,” according to Pryor, and will be on the field for the first day of practice. Rodgers helped lead the Steelers to a 10-6 finish last season, providing adequate play at the position to keep the offense on schedule despite being more of a dink-and-dunk passer. We wouldn’t expect Rodgers to air it out any more than he did last year, but the addition of Michael Pittman gives him two solid receivers to work with along with Pat Freiermuth at tight end.