Aaron Rodgers could face both of his former teams before his final NFL season has officially begun, with Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy considering using the veteran quarterback against Green Bay and the New York Jets during the preseason.

Rodgers has not appeared in an exhibition game since 2023, but told The Athletic that he would play if McCarthy believes the repetitions would benefit Pittsburgh’s offense.

“If you want me to play, I’ll play,” Rodgers said he had told his head coach. “I’m not saying I want to do it. But if he wants me to, I will.”

The Steelers’ opening two preseason fixtures carry an unusual amount of personal history. Rodgers spent 18 seasons with the Packers after being selected in the first round of the 2005 draft, winning four MVP awards and Super Bowl XLV before leaving for New York in 2023. His time with the Jets was transformed almost immediately by the torn Achilles he suffered on his fourth regular season snap for the franchise, but he returned to play a full season for the franchise before moving on to the Steelers.

Green Bay also represents shared territory for Rodgers and McCarthy. The pair worked together from 2006 until McCarthy was dismissed during the 2018 season, reaching four NFC Championship Games and defeating Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV. Their reunion has already been central to the Steelers’ plans for Rodgers’ last season, but McCarthy is unwilling to commit to a preseason appearance before assessing the health and readiness of the wider offense.

“Trust me, I have a lot of ideas,” McCarthy said. “We have plans but, being a healthy system, let’s see what happens. A lot can happen between now and [August 13th].

“He’d like to play [and] I would like to see him play, but we won’t make a decision until we get all the way up to it because there’s more that goes into that than having one player play. It’s the culmination of players.”

The presence of the starting offensive line and Pittsburgh’s principal skill-position players is therefore likely to influence the decision. Exposing Rodgers for a token series behind a makeshift unit would offer little preparation value, regardless of the opponents involved. McCarthy must also distribute preseason work among the quarterbacks competing to sit behind Rodgers. Mason Rudolph and Will Howard return, while third-round selection Drew Allar begins his first NFL camp as a potential longer-term option for a team that knows another succession decision awaits in 2027.

For Rodgers, appearances against Green Bay and New York would provide recognisable subplots without the emotional or competitive weight of regular season reunions. The greater purpose would be accelerating his command of McCarthy’s offense and building rhythm with a Steelers unit preparing for one final campaign with the 42-year-old at quarterback.

“Just to be able to take this final lap with him, it’s awesome,” McCarthy said. “You always want to do a great job, but now, to do it with him in his last chapter, it’s special.”

Whether that final lap begins in the preseason remains undecided. Rodgers, however, has left the choice entirely with the coach who helped shape the most successful period of his career.