New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy is quite familiar with Aaron Rodgers, but it's not clear if that story will continue in Pittsburgh.
The Pittsburgh Steelers will have a new head coach in the 2026 NFL season for the first time in 19 years, with Mike McCarthy taking over for Mike Tomlin. The question remains, however, of who will be under center for the Steelers under McCarthy. As of now, Pittsburgh doesn’t have any committal answer from quarterback Aaron Rodgers on his plans for next season. The story would certainly write itself, and McCarthy is quite aware of that. It would be a major reunion after Rodgers began his career under McCarthy with the Green Bay Packers in 2006. McCarthy was asked about the situation at a celebration of life for late president Bob Harlan.
Ultimately, there’s no answer, but McCarthy understands that it’s a big decision for the 42-year-old who is in a much different place than when he was 22. It’s also a new environment for Rodgers, who just joined the team in 2024, and who was caught off guard by Tomlin’s departure from the franchise. Green Bay hasn’t set a hard deadline for a decision, but general manager Omar Khan doesn’t believe it’ll last as long as last year, when he didn’t sign until right before June minicamp.
Here is the full story from Steelers Roundtable writer Ashish Mathur on McCarthy’s comments and the future of the team’s signal caller.
The team will certainly need a new starter if Rodgers decides not to come back. They currently have Mason Rudolph and Will Howard under contract and may look to find their next signal caller in the 2026 NFL draft.