Pittsburgh may be preparing to face a new opponent, but head coach Mike Tomlin is sticking to his preseason plan. With the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers just hours from kickoff, the Steelers coach confirmed that his stars-starting with Aaron Rodgers-will once again remain on the bench.
The Steelers will host the Buccaneers this Saturday at 6:00 p.m. at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, during Week 2 of the 2025 NFL preseason. After last week’s 31-25 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, fans and analysts had hoped Tomlin would finally give his marquee players some field time.
However, for the second straight week, Tomlin will keep his veteran core on the sidelines, including Rodgers, wide receiver D.K. Metcalf, running back Jaylen Warren, linebacker T.J. Watt, and cornerback Jalen Ramsey, among others.
Mike Tomlin’s reasoning
In a press conference after Thursday’s practice, Tomlin explained:
“I’m going to play this preseason game very much like we did the first one, in terms of participation. The same collection of guys who were held out last time will comprise the guys who are held out this game.”
He added that he will determine starters on a game-by-game basis “based on development and performance,” noting that the preseason is about tailoring work to each player’s needs.
“Different guys, for a variety of reasons, need different amounts of work to be ready, and it’s an effort for us to evaluate their talent or what they’re capable of.”
Tomlin emphasized that veterans have been through this process many times-especially at a high level-and that he’s been satisfied with their performance in practice. The real evaluation, he said, is for the younger players still competing for roster spots.
Rodgers still putting in the work
Although he won’t suit up on Saturday, Rodgers isn’t simply waiting for the regular season. On Thursday, the 20-year veteran participated in the Steelers– Buccaneers joint practice.
“It’s good to go against a different team,” Rodgers said beforehand, “because you get a chance to go against non-vanilla defenses.”
While there was no immediate report on how the practice went, Rodgers said he hoped to gather enough valuable film to prepare for the regular season, which kicks off in three weeks.
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