Every game Aaron Rodgers plays for the Steelers from here on out is a bonus. Pittsburgh can clinch a playoff berth with a win on Sunday in Cleveland, or if the Ravens lose to the Packers on Saturday night. Either will do, but the latter would put a lot less pressure on the shoulders of No. 8.
Rodgers, who is just two seasons removed from an Achilles injury that ended his New York Jets career before it even began, has played remarkably well for an organization and head coach he has long admired in Pittsburgh. At 42-years-old, he still has something left to prove against a fellow all-time great in Myles Garrett. But should the Steelers even let him play?
Could the Steelers sit Aaron Rodgers against Myles Garrett?
I might recommend it! If the Steelers were to clinch a playoff spot before they take the field on Sunday, then what's the point of playing Rodgers at all, especially against a player who's on the record as wanting to impose physical harm on the 42-year-old?
"[Rodgers is] legendary himself, and it's a legendary record I'm here chasing," Garrett said Friday. "That'd be a great one to put a picture on the wall with."
To be fair, Garrett didn't say anything you or I wouldn't were we in his shoes. He's chasing the all-time sack record. He's rather break that mark as soon as possible. Rodgers and the Steelers are his next opponent. But, here's what Garrett said back in June when Pittsburgh signed the future Hall of Famer.
"I think it's a good opportunity to put him in the graveyard," Garrett said.
That paints a slightly different picture, no?
Aaron Rodgers incentives could give Steelers an advantage
I'll repeat: All of this is under the assumption that the Ravens lose to the Packers on Saturday, meaning the Steelers wouldn't have to win on Sunday. The other option is for the Steelers to build a big lead in Cleveland and sit Rodgers for fear of injury, but that seems unlikely given what we know about this Pittsburgh team. Big leads are rare, even against the Browns.
The good news for Rodgers is that were he to not play, it'd likely land him a raise. Yes, most of Rodgers contract is actually incentives, with his base pay technically just $3.65 million.
Incentive | Salary |
|---|---|
Make Playoffs | $500k |
Wild Card win | $600k |
Divisional round win | $750k |
AFC Championship | $1 million |
Super Bowl win | $1.5 million |
Thus, if the Steelers clinch a playoff spot by Sunday, there's little financial incentive for Rodgers to play. If anything, he'd be putting himself at risk of losing out on those other benchmarks, which he can pick up only if he plays 50% of the snaps in said playoff games. If Garrett's 272-pound frame lands on Rodgers even once, it puts the fragile veteran's money at risk.
Myles Garrett's legacy isn't the Steelers problem
Garrett may want to break his record against Rodgers, as both players are destined for Canton one day. Yet, the Steelers have more important matters to worry about than their one-sided rivalry with Garrett and the Browns. Cleveland has defeated the Steelers the last two times they hosted Pittsburgh, sure, but the matchup has also served as their Super Bowl. The same can be said of this Sunday, when the Browns can play spoiler and force the Steelers to beat Baltimore next week.
While sitting Rodgers would play right into the Browns' hand – another chance to beat the Steelers in Cleveland and claim they can't stop Garrett at full strength – it's also the right thing to do under the guidelines mentioned above.
Garrett has long considered himself better than his counterpart in Pittsburgh, TJ Watt. Considering the season he's had in 2025, it's tough to argue with him anymore. That alone ought to be enough of a takeaway for Garrett, even if Rodgers is forced to sit by Mike Tomlin.