It sounds increasingly likely the Steelers will let quarterback Aaron Rodgers make the call on whether he plays Sunday at Soldier Field against the Bears. And given his history with them, it’s hard to imagine he’d miss what likely would be his final game in Chicago.
Rodgers returned to practice Thursday in a limited capacity and worked with a black brace or cast on his left, non-throwing wrist in videos posted by Pittsburgh reporters. He suffered a small fracture there during the Steelers’ 34-12 win over the Bengals on Sunday.
Coach Mike Tomlin said this week that Rodgers’ input would be “a component” of the decision on whether he plays and sounded somewhat upbeat about his outlook.
He said pain tolerance is a non-issue for Rodgers and that he wouldn’t need to practice much in order to be ready to play. He added that Rodgers lobbied to return against the Bengals after the injury. The key is whether he can protect his wrist and function, primarily in handling snaps, with whatever brace he wears.
“I just trust him,” offensive coordinator Arthur Smith said Thursday. “This isn’t his first rodeo. He knows how to prepare and has been in different circumstances like this before.”
The Steelers don’t have to declare a game status for Rodgers until Friday and they can leave it unclear by designating him questionable and taking it all the way to 90 minutes before kickoff.
Even at 41, Rodgers has been remarkably durable and gritty. He had played nearly all of the Steelers’ snaps before getting hurt against the Bengals.
Since becoming a starter in 2008, then for the Packers, he has played 272 of a possible 307 games, including the playoffs. Sixteen of those absences came when he tore his Achilles with the Jets in 2023.
If he’s unable to play, the Steelers would turn to longtime backup Mason Rudolph and have rookie Will Howard, a sixth-round pick, next in line.
That would make quite a difference.
While Rodgers isn’t the same player he was while winning back-to-back MVPs in 2020 and ’21, he has had a modest resurgence with the Steelers in what he has said he’s “pretty sure” will be his final season. He isn’t as prolific as he was in his prime but still is efficient.
Rodgers is 12th in the NFL with a 97.7 passer rating, up from 90.7 over the previous three seasons. He is 17th with a 66.4 completion percentage, more than a point better than his career total. He’s fifth with 19 touchdown passes, has thrown the 10th-most interceptions at seven and is 26th at 196.9 yards passing per game.
Rudolph has just 18 career starts and hasn’t started for an extended period since his rookie season in 2019. He had played six snaps this season before replacing Rodgers on Sunday, when he finished the win by going 12-for-16 for 127 yards and a touchdown for 118.5 passer rating.
“You always have to have contingency plans,” Smith said. “I give Mason a lot of credit. That’s a sign of a real pro that Mason does a good job preparing every week. He was ready to roll and did a nice job.”
Howard, who won the national championship at Ohio State last season, has not played in the NFL.
Rodgers didn’t answer directly Wednesday when asked if playing in Chicago was added motivation to find a way to get on the field, saying, “There’s incentive for every opponent,” then going on about how much he has enjoyed his time there.
