Why Aaron Rodgers is playing in Steelers preseason despite being 42 years old

At this point in his career, Aaron Rodgers doesn't have much to prove. 

Someday, he'll be enshrined in Canton as one of the greatest quarterbacks ever — a Super Bowl MVP, four-time league MVP and 10-time Pro Bowl selection with a rocket for an arm. His decision to re-sign with the Pittsburgh Steelers for the 2026 season was more about Rodgers' love for football than a need to build his resume.

Despite his age and status as the NFL's oldest player this season, however, Rodgers is slated to take some preseason snaps, a stage typically reserved for young talent with something to prove.

Here's why Rodgers will be making preseason appearances for the Steelers in 2026.

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Why is Aaron Rodgers playing in preseason?

In early August, The Athletic's Michael Silver released an exclusive interview with Rodgers, with topics ranging from a sickness during the Steelers' playoff loss last season to his connection with Mike McCarthy, his former Packers head coach and new boss in Pittsburgh.

Thanks to his strong bond with McCarthy, Rodgers said he's willing to do something this summer that he hasn't in years: participate in preseason games.

Per The Athletic, McCarthy asked Rodgers to play in the Steelers' preseason matchups vs. the Packers and Jets, his two former teams.

“He (wants me out there for) 30 or 40 plays,” Rodgers said, per The Athletic. “I said, ‘Mike, if you want me to play, I’ll play.’ I’m not saying I want to do it. But if he wants me to, I will.”

McCarthy later clarified that nothing was set in stone for the quarterback.

"Those decisions are really gonna be made once we get up to it," McCarthy said, per NFL.com. "Trust me, I have a lot of ideas. ... We have plans, but being a healthy system, let's see what happens. A lot can happen between now and [then].

"He'd like to play. 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."

Rodgers also later expressed his clear disinterest in taking preseason snaps — days before Week1 of the preseason, he said he doesn't see the value in making appearances in the games.

"It's preseason," Rodgers said. "It's not real football. So if I do [play], great. If not, great."

Aaron Rodgers says he doesn’t know yet if he’ll play Thursday night. If he doesn’t - and when he’s not on the field - he says he likes to be on the headset to help calm people down and crack a few dad jokes. pic.twitter.com/OEdKEoVqw8

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When is the last time Aaron Rodgers played in the preseason?

Rodgers last made a preseason appearance in 2023 for the Jets — he threw passes for two offensive series in the team's final matchup before the regular season.

However, the last time Rodgers played significant snaps in a preseason game was back in 2018 for the Packers, throwing a touchdown pass in an exhibition against the Steelers.

Nowadays, Rodgers said recently, preseason looks different in his eyes.

“Preseason's a lot different. Teams don't run anything anymore. They just really don’t,” Rodgers said, per NFL.com. “Even joint practices. The first year we were doing them, it was fun because you got to play a team that wasn't going to play how they played in the preseason. They were going to show you a lot of different things they were working on. It was like a real day at camp.

“But as that got on, it just stopped being like that. It just turned into fights, and nobody showed anything. I think those are a waste of a day. I think preseason football is good to see guys with the pads on, under the lights, how they react to the nerves. But it's not real regular season football.”