Steelers Wrap Aaron Rodgers in Bubble Wrap, Hand Preseason Keys to Will Howard and Drew Allar

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Pittsburgh Steelers are officially wrapping Aaron Rodgers in bubble wrap for Friday night's preseason game against the New York Jets, handing the offensive keys to Will Howard and rookie Drew Allar instead.

Mason Rudolph is also getting the night off, meaning Pittsburgh is treating this exhibition like a live-fire audition for the bottom of the depth chart. When the veterans grab baseball caps, the guys fighting for a locker stall get to put on a show.

"Adam Schefter reported the lineup change via Brooke Pryor."

Howard is finally getting his shot under the lights after a hand injury wiped out his entire 2025 rookie campaign. He will be followed by Allar, the 2026 fourth-round pick out of Penn State who is bouncing back from a season-ending leg injury of his own. Head coach Mike McCarthy is letting the young guys eat after they helped hang 28 points on the Green Bay Packers last week.

Sitting a 42-year-old Rodgers in August is the easiest coaching decision in the history of organized sports. The man has a medical chart that reads like a medieval battle casualty list, including a torn Achilles, a fractured wrist, and a low-ankle sprain all within the last few years. You do not risk a four-time MVP in a meaningless game against the Jets just to sell a few extra hot dogs at Acrisure Stadium.

For anyone sick enough to be sweating preseason totals, this completely changes the math. You are no longer betting on a veteran offense finding its rhythm, but rather two unproven kids fighting for their professional lives against a New York Jets squad that just gave up 24 points to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Friday night will not tell us if the Steelers are Super Bowl contenders, but it will decide who gets to hold the clipboard when Rodgers inevitably tweaks a calf muscle in October.