What Mike McCarthy’s hiring means for Aaron Rodgers’ return to Steelers, more 2026 questions originally appeared on The Sporting News. Click here to add Sports News as your go-to source.
The Pittsburgh Steelers face two big questions heading into the 2026 offseason: who will coach the team, and who will play quarterback.
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The Steelers answered the first question on Saturday, Jan. 24, when they hired former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy as the team’s next leader. McCarthy will replace Mike Tomlin, who is resigning after the 2025-26 season. He will be the first head coach with head coaching experience hired by Pittsburgh since 1965.
The hire is expected to help keep the franchise competitive, but it could also impact their secondary. Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers is a free agent, but he spent time with McCarthy in Green Bay from 2006 to 2018. While nothing is official, the connection to Rodgers is noteworthy because Pittsburgh has few other reliable starting quarterback options in 2026.
Here’s more on the Steelers’ potential impact of hiring McCarthy on retaining Rodgers.
More 2026 NFL playoff news:
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What Mike McCarthy’s hiring means for Aaron Rodgers’ return
When Steelers owner Art Rooney II spoke after Tomlin announced his resignation as head coach, he was asked what his favorite thing about working with Tomlin was. Rooney II talked about former head coach’s presence in the building, but mostly focused on “working with Mike [Tomlin]we have been arguing. “
For the first time since 1965, Pittsburgh hired a head coach with extensive head coaching experience. McCarthy took over the Steelers with a 174-112-2 coaching record, including a victory over Pittsburgh in Super Bowl XLV.
While his success during his 18-year coaching career may have attracted Rooney, McCarthy, on the other hand, could help lure Rodgers back to Pittsburgh.
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Rooney, when asked about Rodgers at the same press conference, specifically said: “Aaron [Rodgers] Came here for Mike [Tomlin]”. Tomlin’s resignation makes it difficult for Rodgers to return to Pittsburgh. Despite reports that the move was not made with that goal in mind, the Steelers are still open to a reunion, and the hire certainly wouldn’t hurt.
More: Why did the Steelers hire Mike McCarthy?
Mike McCarthy’s relationship with Aaron Rodgers
In the 2005 NFL Draft, Green Bay selected Rodgers with the 24th overall pick in the first round. The Packers fired former head coach Mike Sherman after the 2005 season and hired McCarthy as his successor. McCarthy and Rodgers spent 13 seasons together, compiling a 125-77-2 record and winning Super Bowl 45. The two made the playoffs in nine of those 13 seasons.
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more: Is Aaron Rodgers retiring?
Will Aaron Rodgers return to the Steelers next season?
Rodgers took a long time to make the decision to join the Steelers for the 2025 season. He officially signed a one-year contract on June 6, 2025. Even with McCarthy at the helm in Pittsburgh, Rodgers could have taken six months or more to make a decision if he wanted to.
Since Rodgers is a free agent and the Steelers are interested in a reunion, Rodgers will definitely return to the Steelers in 2026, but nothing is official yet. Another reason to return is that if Rodgers hangs up his cleats and retires, his final career pass will officially be his No. 6 pick in a wild-card round loss to the Houston Texans.
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more: Why did Mike Tomlin resign?
Aaron Rodgers stats under Mike McCarthy
Here are Rodgers’ statistics in Green Bay under McCarthy. Rodgers took over as the starter in 2008, McCarthy’s third year with the team.
|
season |
game |
completion rate |
passing yards |
by TD |
INT |
carry |
Code rush |
Rush TD |
Record |
|
2006 |
2 |
40.0% |
46 |
0 |
0 |
2 |
11 |
0 |
— |
|
2007 |
2 |
71.4% |
218 |
1 |
0 |
7 |
29 |
0 |
— |
|
2008 |
16 |
63.6% |
4,038 |
28 |
13 |
56 |
207 |
4 |
6-10 |
|
2009 |
16 |
64.7% |
4,434 |
30 |
7 |
58 |
316 |
5 |
11-5 |
|
2010 |
15 |
65.7% |
3,922 |
28 |
11 |
64 |
Chapter 356 |
4 |
10-5 |
|
2011 |
15 |
68.3% |
4,643 |
45 |
6 |
60 |
Chapter 257 |
3 |
14-1 |
|
2012 |
16 |
67.2% |
4,295 |
39 |
8 |
54 |
Chapter 259 |
2 |
11-5 |
|
2013 |
9 |
66.6% |
2,536 |
No. 17 |
6 |
30 |
120 |
0 |
6-3 |
|
2014 |
16 |
65.6% |
4,381 |
38 |
5 |
43 |
269 |
2 |
12-4 |
|
2015 |
16 |
60.7% |
3,821 |
31 |
8 |
58 |
Chapter 344 |
1 |
10-6 |
|
2016 |
16 |
65.7% |
4,428 |
40 |
7 |
67 |
Chapter 369 |
4 |
10-6 |
|
2017 |
7 |
64.7% |
1,675 |
16 |
6 |
twenty four |
126 |
0 |
4-3 |
|
2018 |
12 |
61.8% |
3,504 people |
twenty one |
1 |
32 |
168 |
0 |
4-7-1 |
|
all |
158 |
65.2% |
41,941 |
Chapter 334 |
78 |
Chapter 555 |
2,831 |
25 |
98-55-1 |
Bold Indicates the year Rodgers won the NFL MVP award.
