Following the release of the Pittsburgh Steelers' 2025 schedule, there were some obvious conclusions fans could jump to.
The Steelers will take on Justin Fields and the New York Jets in Week 1, which, of course, would lead fans to believe that Aaron Rodgers is ultimately going to be in Pittsburgh. Not only that, but the league also scheduled Pittsburgh to take on the Green Bay Packers in prime time for Week 8.
As ESPN's Brooke Pryor explains, though, the NFL didn't know anything about Rodgers' ultimate decision of whether or not to sign in Pittsburgh:
"Despite scheduling Steelers-Jets for Week 1 and Steelers-Packers for "Sunday Night Football" in Week 8, the NFL didn't have any inside information about Aaron Rodgers' decision when it made Pittsburgh's schedule."
NFL’s Aaron Rodgers spin is so unhinged, even Antonio Brown would raise an eyebrow
Steelers fans have seen their fair share of craziness out of some past players, and Antonio Brown might top the list of the most extreme. Yet, I have a feeling even Brown would find this explanation from the league hard to believe.
Brown is the guy who recently made headlines saying he'd play for the Steelers for free last season, and the funny thing is, that isn't hard to believe. The choices he's made have likely led him to a tough spot in life.
But, again, Brown's claims aren't as ridiculous as the NFL's in this instance.
"NFL vice president of broadcasting and scheduling Mike North said Thursday, the Steelers' national brand and body of work drove the league's decision to give the Steelers prominent slots despite the unresolved quarterback situation," Pryor wrote.
In summation, it's the larger body of work by Mike Tomlin and his Steelers tenure that would put his team in the spotlight these two weeks.
It just so happens that the Steelers are playing the Jets and Packers in these games which, again, is impossible to believe.
The league doesn't know Rodgers is going to sign in Pittsburgh, huh?
Yeah, right.