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Stephen A. and Gerald McCoy clash over expectations for Rodgers' final season (2:55)

Brooke PryorSep 2, 2026, 05:00 PM ET
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PITTSBURGH -- Entering his 22nd year in the NFL, Aaron Rodgers is experiencing a first.

The Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback is one of four signal-callers on the 53-man roster, along with Mason Rudolph, Will Howard and Drew Allar, and Rodgers said Wednesday that he has never been part of a four-man quarterback room -- until now.

"I was thinking it was a possibility, but I don't think I've been on a roster with four quarterbacks," the 42-year-old said.

"Obviously when you do that, you're taking away a spot from another place in the team. But at the same time, if the best 53 are going to make it -- and not saying they did -- I think those four are part of the best 53."

It makes sense that Rodgers hasn't been part of a four-man quarterback room. Until this season, McCarthy had never had more than three quarterbacks on his teams' active rosters to start a season. Under coach Matt LaFleur, Rodgers was in a three-man quarterback room in 2020 after the Green Bay Packers drafted Jordan Love. Every other year under LaFleur, the team kept just two QBs. While with the New York Jets, Rodgers and Zach Wilson were the only quarterbacks on the 2023 Week 1 53-man roster. The next season, it was Rodgers and Tyrod Taylor.

Though Rodgers is in uncharted territory, he expressed excitement about working with the group.

"I'm happy for all those guys," Rodgers said. "Obviously looking to the future, those other three guys are going to have a chance when I'm done. And with the growth you saw with Will and obviously with Drew being drafted so far, but also playing well in camp, I'm not surprised at all and I'm excited about those guys' future."

Rodgers served as a mentor throughout the preseason, and he kept a close eye on Howard and Allar in the third preseason game at the Buffalo Bills as he watched from home.

"I'll keep some of the things that I was saying to the TV to myself," Rodgers said with a grin. "But no, I thought the entire camp, it was never too big for them. They looked really comfortable out there and I thought they did a lot of good things moving to football, being efficient.

"There's learning experiences, but you look at my first preseason, it was not pretty at all. I didn't play good till about the second half of the fourth preseason game. So, they're definitely ahead of where I was at, and mentally, they're grasping the offense and the checks and the cans, and I'm really proud about those guys."

Aaron Rodgers: Steelers' 4-QB room is first of 22-year NFL career

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