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 prepare for the Bears. He added that Rodgers wanted to go back into the game against the Bengals after the injury. The key for Rodgers 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.”
Even at 41, Rodgers has been remarkably durable and gritty. He had played nearly all of the Steelers’ snaps this season 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.