The NFL’s push to expand into international markets splits opinions, but few dislike the challenges of overseas games more than Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.

LaFleur pretty much had to be dragged kicking and screaming across the Atlantic Ocean when the Packers played in London.

“I’m not going to give you my honest answer,” LaFleur said before the Packers’ game in London. “I’d rather refrain. It feels like a Thursday night game for us as coaches just in terms of all the preparation you’ve got to do. But you just do it, so it is what it is.”

In 2022, LaFleur’s team traveled across the pond and lost. They kicked off last season with a 10-hour trip to Brazil. They lost again. Reports have connected the Packers to the NFL’s first regular-season game in Dublin, Ireland, this year, where the Pittsburgh Steelers would await.

Fortunately, he may not have to give his “honest answer” about a possible trip to Ireland later this year.

Aaron Rodgers signing with Steelers would put an end to possible Packers international game

All signs had pointed toward a blockbuster Packers-Steelers showdown in Dublin, but Aaron Rodgers’ future could change that. According to radio host Bill Michaels, team president Mark Murphy believes the Steelers will “most likely” protect the Packers game, ensuring it remains in Pittsburgh.

Michaels added: “Especially if a former QB is playing in the Steel City.”

That former quarterback is one Aaron Rodgers, who will almost certainly become the Steelers’ new QB1 in the near future.

The Steelers would undoubtedly want that game to remain in their own stadium, especially for a marquee matchup against Rodgers’ former team. The league may prefer that outcome, too, as it would provide the additional flexibility to schedule the game when it sees fit.

It’s hard to imagine the NFL wanting Rodgers versus the Packers in an early-morning window. That game belongs in primetime. The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman urged the league to feature the game in the season-opening Sunday Night Football contest, and it’s hard to disagree.

Packers fans in Ireland may have to wait to see their team. A Rodgers-Packers matchup across the pond would undoubtedly create a unique and must-see contest, but based on Murphy’s comments, that no longer seems the likely outcome.

LaFleur is the real winner here. Sure, his team will now have to play a true road matchup rather than benefitting from a neutral venue, but instead of facing questions about the challenges of international travel, he’ll spend an entire week fielding questions about Rodgers.