After all, Aaron Rodgers will get a chance to say goodbye to one of his favorite places.
Pittsburgh coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday there is a chance Rodgers and his broken left wrist will still be able to play Sunday when the Steelers visit Chicago.
Rodgers injured his wrist, which prevented him from throwing the ball, late in the first half of Pittsburgh's 32-14 win over Cincinnati on Sunday. Although Tomlin said Rodgers wanted to return, the four-time MVP remained in the locker room for evaluation while backup Mason Rudolph helped the AFC North-leading Steelers pull away and improve to 6-4.
Rodgers, 41, the oldest active NFL player, will not need wrist surgery. He will not train on Wednesday and what happens after that will depend on how Rodgers adjusts to the brace he will be wearing and how it affects his ability to perform normally.
Tomlin doesn't expect pain tolerance to be an issue, although Rodgers will have to show he can defend himself.
Rudolph, who made a sterling second-half substitution against the Bengals, will start for Pittsburgh against the NFC North-leading Bears (7-3) if Rodgers is unable to start.
Rodgers has a long history in Chicago, dating back to his highly successful stint in Green Bay early in his career. He's 11-1 as a starter at Soldier Field and once loudly declared that he “owns” one of the NFL's oldest franchises.
Tomlin rejected the idea that Rodgers' dominance over the Bears would be the deciding factor in whether he plays.
“Aaron always wants to play. The opponent has nothing to do with it,” Tomlin said. “It's his love for football.”
Tomlin doesn't know exactly when Rodgers suffered the injury, although cameras showed Rodgers clutching his wrist after his second throw into the back of the end zone as Pittsburgh drove late in the first half. Rodgers was hit late in the game but stayed in the game to throw another pass that was incomplete to Roman Wilson.
Rudolph completed 12 of 16 passes for 127 yards and a touchdown against the Bengals and will practice with the starting lineup until Rodgers returns, whenever that may be.
Tomlin sometimes allowed veteran players to miss an entire week of practice and then play on Sunday. Former quarterback Ben Roethlisberger spent a week on the Covid-19 list in 2021 but was cleared to play the night before the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.
Not knowing how the brace will affect Rogers means he won't be given that opportunity. Tomlin said the team will need to see how the brace affects what he called Rodgers' “functionality” before deciding whether he can play.
When asked what kind of contribution Rodgers will have, the NFL's longest-tenured head coach chuckled.
“It’s his body, so he’ll definitely be a part of the discussion,” Tomlin said.
Rudolph gives Pittsburgh a reliable backup option. The 30-year-old, now in his second stint with the Steelers after a lengthy stint as a backup from 2018 to 2023, memorably won three straight starts late in the 2023 season to help the Steelers make the playoffs.
“He's proven in his time here that he can come in and play winning football for us,” Tomlin said. “And this is not an easy task.”
While offensive coordinator Arthur Smith and Rodgers work closely together to put together the game plan, Smith also seeks Rudolph's input – one of the reasons Pittsburgh's offense didn't miss a beat against the Bengals and the NFL's worst defense.
The task will be tougher in Chicago, where the Steelers have won just once in 13 tries. The Bears lead the NFL in scoring and rank second in third down in efficiency.
Rodgers isn't the only player whose status is unclear this week. Outside linebacker Alex Highsmith continues to recover from a chest injury that forced him to miss the game against the Bengals. Cornerback Darius Slay could return after spending the past week in concussion protocol.
Running back Jaylen Warren, who injured his ankle in the third quarter against Cincinnati, will be limited this week but could be available. Kenny Gainwell totaled 105 yards and two receiving touchdowns on Sunday while receiving extended coverage that is likely to continue.
While Warren was allowed to return late against the Bengals – and at one point even returned to the field only to have the Steelers call a timeout – Tomlin decided to stick with Gainwell, who he believed had the hot hand.
The trip to Soldier Field begins a daunting three-week stretch for Pittsburgh, which holds a slim one-game lead over Baltimore. Pittsburgh hosts Buffalo on Nov. 29 and then opens December at home to the Ravens.
