The Steelers have every reason to want Rodgers back in 2026. They don\u2019t have a young quarterback in the pipeline and would have to start over at scratch next year if Rodgers doesn\u2019t return. Even at 41, Rodgers is the best and most stable option they\u2019ve had for years after cycling through Kenny Pickett, Mitchell Trubisky, Justin Fields, and Russell Wilson.<\/p>\n
Rodgers also seems to be falling in love with the Steelers and Pittsburgh. He raves about playing for Tomlin and the small-town feel of Pittsburgh sports. Rodgers went to a Penguins game<\/a> this past week and said he felt a kinship with Sidney Crosby, Evgeni Malkin, and Kris Letang, who have played together nearly 20 years.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s one of the cool things that [former Steeler Brett] Keisel and I were talking about last night, how in Green Bay and in Pittsburgh there\u2019s iconic players, and they come back around, they live in the city, and they call Pittsburgh home full time,\u201c Rodgers said. \u201cThere\u2019s something special about that \u2026 It\u2019s fun to be a part of this organization, and the iconic Packers organization, for so long, too.\u201d<\/p>\n Rodgers is going to see those iconic Packers this weekend when they play the Steelers in Pittsburgh<\/a> on \u201cSunday Night Football.\u201d The Packers are the one team Rodgers has never defeated in his 21-year career.<\/p>\n A one-time Super Bowl winner and four-time MVP in 18 seasons with the Packers, Rodgers said the game will be emotional, but less so because it\u2019s not in Green Bay. Most of his former teammates have moved on since Rodgers last played in Green Bay in 2022. He\u2019s looking forward to catching up with the Packers\u2019 trainers, nutritionist, and photographer.<\/p>\n Rodgers said he doesn\u2019t consider it a revenge game, like when Brett Favre played the Packers in 2009 as a member of the Vikings.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, Brett got traded and then he went to one of the hated rivals,\u201d Rodgers said. \u201cI was [with the Jets] for a couple years. I don\u2019t have any animosity toward the organization. Obviously, I wish that things had been better in our last year there, but I have a great relationship with a lot of people still in that organization.\u201d<\/p>\n The Steelers got off to a slow start on offense this season, in part because Rodgers didn\u2019t participate in most of the offseason program or play in any preseason games. But they are in first place in the AFC North<\/a> and scored 31 points against the Bengals, and are giving teams problems with a sixth offensive lineman.<\/p>\n \u201cI feel good. I feel like we\u2019re moving in the right direction,\u201d Rodgers said. \u201cWe\u2019ve started to figure out what our identity is.\u201d<\/p>\n Sunday night will probably be emotional for Rodgers, and beating the Packers could put a nice bow on his career. But Rodgers is enjoying his time in Pittsburgh so much that it wouldn\u2019t be shocking to see him return in 2026.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s got an awesome relationship with this game,\u201d Tomlin said. \u201cI haven\u2019t been with him for a long time, but he\u2019s been fired up every single week. I\u2019ve been in this thing long enough [to know] you don\u2019t stumble into 20-plus years of service in this business. There\u2019s unique habits, unique relationships with the game of football. I anticipated that. It still doesn\u2019t make it less impressive, his day to day, what he\u2019s willing to do.\u201d<\/p>\n LEADING QUESTION<\/p>\n Vikings\u2019 quarterback situation is a mess<\/p>\n After Thursday\u2019s Chargers-Vikings game, it\u2019s worth revisiting the question atop the Sunday Notes column from Aug. 16<\/a>: The Vikings have a talented roster, but do they have the quarterback to take them there?<\/p>\n Eight weeks into the season, that would be a resounding \u201cno.\u201d A team that was 14-3 last year and loaded with options at quarterback dropped to 3-4 Thursday night, with undrafted rookie Max Brosmer closing out an embarrassing 37-10 loss to the Chargers after Carson Wentz left with a shoulder injury and J.J. McCarthy was deemed not healthy enough to play.<\/p>\n The Vikings have one of the worst quarterback situations in the league. It wasn\u2019t long ago that they were loaded at the position.<\/p>\n They let Kirk Cousins leave in March 2024 for $100 million guaranteed with the Falcons. In March 2025, they decided to let Sam Darnold leave for the Seahawks and their three-year, $105 million offer. The Vikings also decided not to compete with the Colts\u2019 offer for Daniel Jones, who got $14 million for one year.<\/p>\n The Vikings instead handed the team to McCarthy, last year\u2019s No. 10 overall pick who missed his rookie season because of a knee injury, but not before first considering Aaron Rodgers. For their backups, they signed Sam Howell and the University of Minnesota\u2019s Brosmer after the draft. Howell never seemed to mesh and got released at the end of training camp. The Vikings signed Wentz, on his sixth team in six years, in late August to be the new backup. With McCarthy spraining his ankle in Week 2, Wentz has gone 2-3 as the fill-in, playing well in spots but not like a long-term solution.<\/p>\n The Vikings could have tried to trade for Jameis Winston, Joe Flacco, Russell Wilson, or, earlier this offseason, Joe Milton. How and why they landed Howell and Wentz is perplexing and could sink their season.<\/p>\n Now the Vikings don\u2019t have any good answers. Coach Kevin O\u2019Connell said after Thursday\u2019s loss that \u201cif J.J. is healthy, J.J. will play,\u201d and McCarthy appears to be in line to start next Sunday\u2019s NFC North showdown at Detroit.<\/p>\n But the Vikings don\u2019t seem to have much confidence in McCarthy. Video from Thursday night<\/a> showed he\u2019s plenty healthy, yet the Vikings still made him the emergency, third QB. Playing him now is more in the vein of, \u201cNothing left to lose,\u201d than expecting him to be a real answer.<\/p>\n The Vikings\u2019 best option is probably Cousins, currently sitting on the Falcons\u2019 bench. But the trade deadline is a little more than a week away, on Nov. 4. It\u2019s possible that next week\u2019s game against the Lions could amount to a one-game tryout for McCarthy before the Vikings decide to get Cousins to save their season.<\/p>\n More likely, the Vikings let McCarthy and Wentz play out the string, hope the season doesn\u2019t get too out of hand, then look for new solutions at quarterback in 2026.<\/p>\n ETC.<\/p>\n Tush Push, onside kick still unresolved<\/p>\n Two of the biggest rule issues from the 2025 offseason are going to be issues again in \u201926 \u2014 what to do with the Tush Push and the onside kick.<\/p>\n There wasn\u2019t much official talk at this past week\u2019s owners\u2019 meetings in New York about the Tush Push, but the NFL continues to point out the difficulty in officiating false starts by offensive linemen.<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes on a replay we see, \u2018Hey, a guard jumped.\u2019 It is really hard for the line judge to identify that in real time,\u201d NFL executive vice president Troy Vincent said.<\/p>\n The Tush Push barely survived a vote in May<\/a> to remain in the game for 2025, and the difficulty in officiating it might change a few votes next spring. But NBC officiating analyst Terry McAulay pointed out why it might not fix the real problem.<\/p>\n \u201cThe \u2018push\u2019 aspect is not what makes the play difficult to officiate,\u201d he wrote on X. \u201cThe difficulty is with where the linemen on both sides of the ball position themselves and the action at or just prior to the snap, which happens before the \u2018push\u2019 ever occurs. Eliminating the \u2018push\u2019 itself would not change this fact.\u201d<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the NFL is thrilled with its changes to the kickoff rules, with the return rate at 80 percent this year, up from 32 percent and 18 percent the last two years. But it continues to be confounded by the onside kick.<\/p>\n Rule changes that ban running starts and overloading one side of the line for safety reasons have rendered onside kicks nearly impossible to recover. Only 1 of 21 attempts were successful through the first seven weeks (Cardinals in Week 2), and the NFL would prefer onside kicks to be in the 10 percent range (historically, it has been 15 percent and higher).<\/p>\n Vincent told the owners on Tuesday he thinks they should consider again next spring replacing the onside kick with a fourth-and-15 or -20 play, which has been debated and rejected multiple times in the last decade. Panthers 17-year long snapper J.J. Jansen said the solution instead should be reducing the distance an onside kick needs to travel from 10 yards to 5.<\/p>\n \u201cShorter distance increases rate of kicking team recovery,\u201d Jansen wrote on X. \u201cPlayers closer together increases safety of the play.\u201d<\/p>\n Patriots rookie left tackle Will Campbell<\/a> hasn\u2019t had his name called too many times on broadcasts and seems to be adjusting well to the NFL. But Next Gen Stats points out that Campbell has allowed a team-high 27 pressures, with 11 under 2.5 seconds, for a quick pressure rate (4.3 percent) that ranks ninth-highest among 34 left tackles.<\/p>\n It\u2019s relevant because Campbell on Sunday will face Myles Garrett, the Browns\u2019 four-time All-Pro whose 13 quick pressures are tied for fifth-most in the NFL. Aaron Rodgers this past week called Garrett and the Packers\u2019 Micah Parsons among \u201cthe very few players in the league that you actually have to have four hands on at all times.\u201d Expect Campbell to get a lot of help from tight ends and running backs.<\/p>\n The Texans\u2019 defense faced a Kubiak offense in last week\u2019s loss to the Seahawks. This week, their defense faces a Kubiak offense against the 49ers. Klint Kubiak, 38, is the Seahawks\u2019 offensive coordinator, while Klay Kubiak, 37, has the same job for the 49ers. They are the sons of former quarterback, coordinator, and head coach Gary Kubiak.<\/p>\n Though the Kubiak boys are NFC West rivals, they still share some notes.<\/p>\n \u201cWe talk every week,\u201d Klay Kubiak said Thursday. \u201cWe\u2019re divisional foes, but we always talk after games, just kind of, \u2018Hey, what were you seeing in the defense? How\u2019d they look to you live?\u2019 Just kind of sharing little stuff like that.\u201d<\/p>\n The NFL and NFL Players Association announced Friday that the Giants were fined $200,000, coach Brian Daboll $100,000, and running back Cam Skattebo $15,000 for violating the NFL\u2019s concussion protocol and entering the injury tent during Jaxson Dart\u2019s concussion test two weeks ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n But this still amounts to a slap on the wrist. If the NFL was serious, it wouldn\u2019t bury the news on a Friday afternoon, and it certainly would have fined the Giants more than a measly $200,000. A larger fine for the team would send a stronger message that it is not OK to charge into the injury tent and interfere with team doctors.<\/p>\n The Ravens are 1-5, so you know what that means \u2014 no more fun in the locker room. The Baltimore Sun reported that the Ping-Pong tables, basketball hoop, cornhole boards, and video game consoles were removed from the locker room, and NFL Network further clarified that the move was driven by the players, not the coaches \u2026 The city of Baltimore sure rolled out the red carpet for the Rams. The Ravens barely showed up for a 17-3 loss to the Rams at home in Week 6. The Maryland Stadium Authority then allowed the Rams to practice all week at Camden Yards before the Rams flew to London, where they easily handled the Jaguars, 35-7. The Rams will pay for a full resodding of the Camden Yards field this offseason \u2026 NFL coaches have been significantly more successful at challenges this year, per ESPN \u2014 36 of 60 (60 percent) compared with 21 of 53 (39.6 percent) through this time last year, a 52 percent increase. The difference this year is that coaches in the press box have more replay angles to view than before \u2026 Tom Brady (2021), Matthew Stafford (2021), Brett Favre (2009), and Joe Montana (1994) all won their first game against their former teams, while Peyton Manning (2013) and Kurt Warner (2005) lost \u2026 The Pro Bowl Games, centering around an AFC vs. NFC flag football game, will be played Tuesday night of Super Bowl week in San Francisco, host of the Super Bowl. The NFL typically holds it the Sunday before or after the Super Bowl week, but now is trying out midweek prime time \u2026 During halftime of Thursday\u2019s Vikings-Chargers game, Rodney Harrison became the 36th player inducted into the Chargers Hall of Fame. A fifth-round pick in 1994, Harrison helped the Chargers reach the Super Bowl as a rookie, compiled 26 interceptions and 21.5 sacks over nine seasons, and was named Chargers Defensive Player of the Year by his teammates four times \u2026 Yes, there really are more commercials on RedZone<\/a> Channel. Per Sportico, here was the breakdown in Week 7: Seven 15-second ads (two for DraftKings and one each Visa, Mercedes, Lowe\u2019s, Wingstop, Progressive), seven L-bar ads that shared the screen with game action, and four sponsored segments from host Scott Hanson (Visa, Wingstop, DraftKings, and Mercedes). That\u2019s up from four 15-second ads in Week 1, and up from the zero that RedZone Channel had for 15 years. There\u2019s a word for it: greed.<\/p>\n![\"Aaron](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/SC2I4CXTEEI6HGY5AA6ZJN7H4M.jpg\")
Aaron Rodgers’s Packers were beaten by Brett Favre in the quarterback’s first game for the Vikings against his former team.AP\/Associated Press<\/p>\n![\"Vikings](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/JSQBUJXB3764YWNBB3ATEKOI5Y.jpg\")
Vikings quarterback Carson Wentz played through visible pain in a 37-10 loss to the Chargers on Thursday night.AP Photo\/Gregory Bull\/Associated Press<\/p>\n![\"Jalen](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/NBJCRFE2POQWWS3NHJBFNS33VI.jpg\")
Jalen Hurts (1) and the Eagles continue to run the Tush Push, which became an offensive weapon in Philadelphia.Reed Hoffmann\/Associated Press<\/p>\n![\"The](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/KGF6435A4ODZL76SU63HAEOXQY.jpg\")
The Ravens are 1-5 and without star quarterback Lamar Jackson, who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury.Nick Wass\/Associated Press<\/p>\n