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The Pittsburgh Steelers officially introduced Mike McCarthy on Tuesday, officially ushering in a new era. McCarthy replaces Mike Tomlin, who resigned after 19 seasons as Steelers head coach.
Among the questions McCarthy and the Steelers front office will have to answer is who they intend to have as their starting quarterback next season.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers signed a one-year deal with the Steelers last offseason. At 42, he does not rule out a return in 2026, but the team is waiting to see what happens next.
Steelers principal owner Art Rooney II shed some light on when a decision on Rodgers’ future could be made.
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It remains to be seen if Aaron Rodgers will return for the Pittsburgh Steelers next season. (Matt Freed/AP Photo)
According to Rooney, Rodgers’ decision could result in a solution “in the next month or so.”
If Rodgers returns to the Steelers, he would reunite with his former coach. However, Rooney made it clear that a potential Rodgers-McCarthy reunion had little influence on the choice to hire the former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach.
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“We don’t know what Aaron’s plans are at this time, and that didn’t weigh heavily in the decision,” Rooney told the Steelers’ official website. “We’ll see where Aaron is, and we’ve left the door open, but obviously we all have to sit down and see if it makes sense. So that will happen in the next month or so. But the decision was made based on whether Mike is the coach we want, and that really doesn’t have much to do with whether Aaron comes back or not.”
Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy speaks during a press conference Tuesday introducing him as the Steelers’ next head coach. (Charles LeClaire/Imagn Images)
The Steelers selected Will Howard in the sixth round of last year’s NFL Draft. Veteran quarterback Mason Rudolph signed a two-year contract to return to Pittsburgh last March. Rooney said McCarthy was optimistic about Howard, adding that the former Ohio State star “has tremendous potential.”
As for Rodgers’ future, Rooney said: “We’ll have to sit down and talk about where Aaron is, if he decides to come back, and if it all makes sense.”
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and then-head coach Mike Tomlin share a moment after beating the Baltimore Ravens on Jan. 4 at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh. (Michael Owens/Getty Images)
Rodgers was tight-lipped on his 2026 outlook following the Steelers’ lopsided loss to the Houston Texans earlier this month.
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“I’m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers said. “At this point, it’s obviously a really fun year. A lot of adversity, but a lot of fun. Last year was a great year in my life, and that’s a really good part of it, coming here and being a part of this team. So it’s disappointing to be sitting here with the season over.”
Rodgers spent the first 18 seasons of his NFL career with the Green Bay Packers. He spent two years with the New York Jets before signing with the Steelers last year.
