Status still uncertain after sustaining a wrist fracture on his non-throwing hand, Aaron Rodgers detailed Wednesday what he must do in order to play Sunday against former NFC North rival the Chicago Bears.
Speaking to reporters like the Trib’s Chris Adamski, Rodgers acknowledged the need to be cleared by team doctors and personally feel comfortable with protecting himself.
“Gotta get the OK (from doctors) and gotta feel like I can protect myself,” Adamski tweeted him saying.
Aaron Rodgers says he’s been doing rehab.
On what needs to happen by Sunday for him to start at QB for the Steelers at the Bears:
“Gotta get the OK (from
doctors) and gotta feel like I can protect myself.”
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) November 19, 2025
Obvious as they are, those are two critical goals Mike Tomlin outlined during his Tuesday press conference. While Tomlin noted Rodgers will have a voice in whether or not he plays, how much of a vote he gets could depend. If doctors aren’t comfortable with Rodgers being able to protect himself from pain and especially further injury, he will not play.
If Rodgers is cleared, it’ll presumably be up to him to play or not. With a reputation of playing through injuries, he likely would suit up and start in Chicago. As our Dr. Melanie Friedlander noted yesterday, Rodgers played through a fractured finger on his throwing hand in college and has gutted out countless injuries throughout his career, including a knee injury in 2024 with the New York Jets.
If he plays, Rodgers is expected to wear a brace on his left hand/wrist to provide further protection. As shared by Ray Fittipaldo, he told reporters that he’s still working to find a brace that is comfortable while providing protection.
Rodgers said whether he plays or not will be a safety issue. Can he protect himself? He’s working through finding a brace that works for him.
— Ray Fittipaldo (@rayfitt1) November 19, 2025
Rodgers did not practice Wednesday but told reporters he will try to work tomorrow. From there, Rodgers and team doctors will determine his availability for the weekend. Rodgers could end the week as questionable, which would leave his status unclear until shortly before kickoff.
If Rodgers is unavailable, Mason Rudolph will make his first start for Pittsburgh this season. He completed 12-of-16 passes for 127 yards and one touchdown Sunday in the Steelers’ win over the Cincinnati Bengals, producing points on both of his scoring drives. Aside from an end-of-game kneel down, Rudolph had only two possessions thanks to two Steelers defensive scores.
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