Aaron Rodgers Will Sit Against Bears As Mason Rudolph Starts For Steelers

Aaron Rodgers, nursing a broken left wrist, will sit out Sunday's game against the Chicago Bears. 

Rodgers will be inactive on Sunday, coach Mike Tomlin told CBS Sunday morning. Mason Rudolph will start against the Chicago Bears and rookie third-stringer Will Howard will be the backup.

"[Rodgers] fought his tail off all week," Tomlin told CBS, "but that's the prudent play to make for us as a collective."

Dublin , Ireland - 28 September 2025; Quarterback Aaron Rodgers #8 of Pittsburgh Steelers after the 2025 NFL International Game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Minnesota Vikings at Croke Park in Dublin. (Photo By Seb Daly/Sportsfile via Getty Images)

Steelers Decide In Favor Of Caution

So, Rodgers may insist he traditionally owns Chicago but this injury owns the biggest pregame news of the day around the NFL. Rodgers wanted to play against the Bears and pushed to make that possible. 

Rodgers was listed as questionable for the game and no firm decision was apparent among Steelers coaches as late as Saturday evening.

But, ultimately, the team decided an injury that could otherwise keep Rodgers sidelined three weeks needed at least one week of healing before the issue could be properly decided. Mike Tomlin decided to protect the player from himself because the coach had questions about Rodgers being able to protect himself.

Rodgers In Obvious Bad Mood Pregame

Rodgers arrived at Soldier Field holding his travel bag in his right hand and keeping his injured left wrist in his hoodie pocket.

He then went for a walk around the field and, as cameras focused on him, he kept his left wrist in his hoodie pocket. 

He did successfully flip off the cameras with his right hand. And that should have been a clue was feeling a bit grumpy because this isn't the first rodeo for Rodgers.

He's played 21 NFL seasons. He knows cameras are on quite early around stadiums on game day. 

Will the Steelers trade Mason Rudolph? (Photo by Brandon Sloter/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Mason Rudolph Starts For Steelers

Rudolph, by the way, needs to keep the Steelers train moving in the right direction. President Donald Trump predicted Rudolph was going to do great things this year, so we'll see.

The Steelers hold the AFC North lead at 6-4 b tuthe Baltimore Ravens have won four consecutive games and many observers within the NFL see that is the team to watch in the division.

Multiple NFL backups have had success so far this season, so the Steelers aren't asking the impossible of Rudolph.

Davis Mills, for example, has a 3-0 record as the starter in Houston while C.J. Stroud has been in concussion protocol. 

The Steelers were 3-0 in the three games Rudolph started late in 2023.