Aaron Rodgers injury scare has Steelers fans reliving Jets' 2023 nightmares

The Aaron Rodgers story in Pittsburgh is starting to feel eerily similar to the beginning of his New York Jets tale, and Steelers fans are already feeling the nerves.

The four-time MVP reportedly suffered an injury scare in Tuesday's practice after he was stepped on by one of his linemen. Trainers later examined Rodgers before wrapping his right calf in ice.

Rodgers did return to practice after the injury, although ESPN's Brooke Pryor noted that he didn't look "quite as fluid" and that he threw an interception on his last rep. Head coach Mike Tomlin downplayed the injury when speaking to reporters after practice, claiming there was nothing "of any significance to it."

Jets fans have seen this before, however. Rodgers notably suffered a "minor" calf strain in his first spring with the Jets during OTAs. A few months later, he'd infamously suffer a torn Achilles just four plays into his debut game.

Aaron Rodgers already dealing with a calf injury in Steelers camp

As Jets fans learned the hard way, calf issues aren’t nothing. The gastrocnemius and soleus feed into the Achilles, and when that area’s strained or tight, it can change mechanics and load the tendon in all the wrong ways. That’s why teams tend to be cautious with “minor” calf tweaks, as they have the potential to snowball if you push through them.

The good news for the Steelers is that Rodgers' latest calf ailment is not the same leg in which he tore his Achilles two years ago. The bad news is that any injury like this — no matter how minor — for a soon-to-be 42-year-old is concerning.

Rodgers signed a one-year, $13.65 million contract with the Steelers this offseason after the Jets decided to part ways with the future Hall of Famer. The decision proved to be a rather easy one for the new regime of Aaron Glenn and Darren Mougey, who saw the opportunity to hit a full reset button.

The Steelers, meanwhile, had their sights set elsewhere in the quarterback carousel. The team reportedly preferred to re-sign Justin Fields before the ex-Bears QB joined the Jets on a two-year deal.

With Fields off the market, Pittsburgh pivoted to Rodgers, who, after months of deliberation, signed with the team in early June. The Steelers hope Rodgers still has something left in the tank after a mostly healthy albeit disappointing 2024 campaign with the Jets.

Tuesday was a reminder of how thin that margin is. If this calf scare stays minor, Pittsburgh’s bet still makes sense. But if it lingers, the Steelers are staring at the same uneasy math Jets fans know too well.

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