The Pittsburgh Steelers had Aaron Rodgers as their quarterback in 2025, and now they will have his former head coach as their new head coach in 2026.
According to several reports, the Steelers are hiring Mike McCarthy as their next head coach. Of course, McCarthy previously coached Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers.
While their relationship ended on a sour note in Green Bay, Rodgers and McCarthy appear to have patched things up over the years, as Rodgers told The Athletic’s Matt Schneidman back in 2022.
“I think time always can be a great healer, not that there needed to be a lot of healing in our relationship. There was always so much love,” Rodgers said of McCarthy.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter has weighed in on the situation and he believes that McCarthy being in Pittsburgh “could enhance” the possibility that Rodgers is under center for the Steelers once again in 2026.
“The Steelers remained open to an Aaron Rodgers return before they decided to hire Mike McCarthy. This hiring could enhance the chances of a return,” Schefter reported.
Schefter had previously reported that Mike Tomlin’s resignation made Rodgers’ return “unlikely,” but he also reported that Rodgers had the support of his teammates to come back for another season.
Of course, Rodgers still has to decide if he even wants to play in 2026, but if so a return to the Steelers feels more likely than it did before the McCarthy hire.
