NFL Would Schedule Aaron Rodgers on National TV Week 1 If They Knew He'd Play, Says VP

Aaron Rodgers delaying his decision on whether he will sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers affected the NFL's scheduling plans for the 2025 season.

Mike North, the NFL's vice president of broadcast planning and scheduling, told Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports that if the league knew that Rodgers was going to play for the Steelers it would've been "reflected in the schedule" in the form of a nationally televised game in their Week 1 matchup against the New York Jets.

"You'll see Pittsburgh at the Jets are on CBS at 1 o'clock in the afternoon in Week 1 along with seven other NFL games all at the same time. I think if the league knew, we probably would've scheduled that game for a national television window," North said. "So at worst, it's Justin Fields against his old team. At best, it's Aaron Rodgers going up against one of his old teams. Look at what we did with Aaron Rodgers' first game the last two years (both Monday night games). If we knew something, I think you would've seen it reflected in the schedule. That being said, still a good game."

Rodgers met with the Steelers earlier this offseason but left the building without a deal. While there hasn't been any further progress toward signing him, Pittsburgh is believed to be the only viable landing spot for him if he returns for a 21st NFL season in 2025.

The 41-year-old spent the last two seasons with the Jets after being traded from the Green Bay Packers. After tearing his Achilles at the start of the 2023 season, he wasn't effective during the 2024 campaign as New York went 5-12.

It's still expected that Rodgers will be wearing Black & Gold this season until he says otherwise, so the matchup between the Jets and Steelers will surely draw a large audience for the 1 p.m. time slot.