The Pittsburgh Steelers will get what they can out of Aaron Rodgers for the rest of this season, but the soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback is finding out the hard way what happens when you challenge father time.
Rodgers missed the Steelers Week 12 loss to the Chicago Bears – a team he has admittedly 'owned' throughout his NFL career – with a wrist injury. The good news for Rodgers is that the injury is on his non-throwing wrist. The bad news is that the injury is worse than initially thought.
Aaron Rodgers injury details are worse than we thought
The Steelers reported Rodgers wrist injury a few weeks ago when it occurred in their victory over the Cincinnati Bengals. What we did not know was the severity of said ailment. Rodgers reportedly suffered at least three fractures in his non-throwing hand, per Ian Rapoport and Mike Florio. None of those fractures are displaced, which is an important factor and should allow Rodgers to play rather comfortably with some painkillers.
Rodgers wanted to continue playing against the Bengals, but the Steelers wouldn't oblige. He wanted to play last week against the Bears, a team he's familiar with from his days as a star with the Green Bay Packers. In Week 13, he will get his wish against a Buffalo Bills defense that ranks ninth-worst in the NFL in passing yards allowed.
We didn't know the severity of Rodgers injury until now for a very simple reason: The NFL doesn't require it. Per Pro Football Talk, the NFL requires bare bones reporting, but not much beyond that. The Steelers complied with those rules without telling the fanbase or media that Rodgers injury was far more serious than initially thought.
Aaron Rodgers is broken and the Steelers know it
The last three seasons have been ugly for Rodgers. He missed the entire 2023 season with an Achilles injury. He was relatively healthy in 2024, but didn't look like his usual self as he was still recovering from that Achilles issue. While Rodgers has played well at times in 2025, he's also well over 40 and cannot be relied upon to make the plays most NFL fans have grown accustomed to over his two decades in the league.
The Steelers entire offense is built around protecting their aging asset. Rodgers gets the ball out quicker than just about any starting quarterback in the NFL. Pittsburgh's offensive line, buoyed by young but inexperienced tackles on either side, often needs help via extra tight ends like Darnell Washington. When facing some of the best pass rushers in the league like Myles Garrett and Micah Parsons, that strategy has been exposed.
The goal of opposing defenses is a simple one. If they force Rodgers off his spot, or make him uncomfortable in the pocket, he's much easier to stop. The Steelers don't have a true WR2, an upgrade fans have been calling for for the better part of two seasons. If DK Metcalf, or one of the Steelers three pass-catching tight ends can't create separation, Pittsburgh is screwed.
On Sunday, Rodgers is expected to take more snaps out of the pistol to protect his wrist. The Steelers offense is already limited to short throws that opposing defenses can easily scheme against. If the entirety of Arthur Smith's playbook isn't available to Rodgers, it could be a tough day for Pittsburgh.
At this point, Rodgers career hangs in the balance.