The 2-1 Pittsburgh Steelers landed in Ireland on Friday morning local time ahead of the club’s matchup against the 2-1 Minnesota Vikings that will take place at Croke Park in Dublin on Sunday.
While speaking with media members during a pre-practice news conference, Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers expressed frustration regarding the club’s travel schedule.
How Aaron Rodgers would’ve handled Steelers’ travel to Ireland
“It is what it is, but if the schedule had been a little different, if I could have chosen it, maybe we get over on Monday; Tuesday is the day off,” Rodgers explained, per Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “Good to get out, see some things. It’s a beautiful country, it seems like, from pictures.”
During a live chat that occurred this past Tuesday, Steelers reporter Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette revealed that “the Steelers wanted to go over (to Ireland) early in the week, but the NFL said no.” Dulac also said that this “wasn’t the Steelers’ decision.”
On Friday morning, Dulac took to X (formerly known as Twitter) and shared that NFL senior vice president of football and international communications Michael Signora said that “it is up to each team to decide how early or late in the week it wants to arrive for an international game.” Signora added that such decisions are sometimes “based on hotel and practice site availability.”
According to Pryor, Steelers owner Art Rooney II said the club “worked with the league in a joint discussion” and ultimately made a “football decision” for its travel schedule. The Steelers practiced in Pittsburgh on Wednesday and Thursday ahead of the flight overseas.
Why Aaron Rodgers wanted some downtime in Ireland
Earlier in the week, Rodgers pointed out that he was most looking forward to having “Guinness on tap” in Ireland. On Friday, the future Hall of Famer expanded on why he’s hyped to be part of quite the unique “home” game.
“I have a family history going back to Ireland and Scotland, so I’ve always wanted to get over here,” Rodgers told reporters. “… I’m a historian, so I know, kind of, the history, geopolitically, in the area. I’m a huge fan of Guinness. I don’t really drink beer, but if I do, I drink Guinness. That’s not a (expletive) line that I’m telling you guys. It’s the truth. I’ve heard it tastes different off the tap in Ireland and the States. I’ve been in Northern [Ireland], and it was great, but I’m excited about seeing what it tastes like here.”
Rodgers will hope to enjoy a victory pint or two following Sunday’s contest. As of Friday afternoon, ESPN BET had the Steelers as 2.5-point underdogs against the Vikings.