Mike North, the NFL's vice president of broadcast planning and scheduling, confirmed Thursday that the league's schedule-makers had been influenced by the widespread expectation that Rodgers will eventually sign with the Steelers, per ESPN's Brooke Pryor. However, he denied his office had any inside information about a deal.

Steelers owner Art Rooney II lamented the team's late-season night games after the schedule was released on Wednesday night, but the team will be playing at 1 p.m.