Like it or not, the Pittsburgh Steelers are moving forward with Mike McCarthy as their next head coach—and we can expect him to stick around for a while. According to Steelers insider Gerry Dulac, it's a five-year deal for the 62-year-old head coach.
We can assume that this means McCarthy will have a hand in drafting the next quarterback of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But before he does that, the long-time coaching vet will start to build the roster in his image.
And his next move already feels glaringly obvious.
Aaron Rodgers was the quarterback of the Steelers during the 2025 season. But after Mike Tomlin stepped down, the 42-year-old didn't have interest in returning to the team. Now Rodgers could change his mind.
Though Rodgers and McCarthy haven't always seen eye to eye, McCarthy was largely responsible for developing Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay, and he was the head coach who helped Rodgers to four MVP awards and a Hall of Fame career.
Now a reunion feels like it could be coming... but this isn't what Steelers fans should be rooting for.
Mike McCarthy could bring back Aaron Rodgers in his first move as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers' team president made it clear when speaking to the media after the season that it was Rodgers' choice whether he wanted to return to the team for another season in 2026. This is an option Rooney shouldn't have given him, but it proved that they were willing to have him back for another year.
Now Rooney might get his wish.
Rodgers and McCarthy worked together for 14 seasons in Green Bay, a run that included a Super Bowl win over the Pittsburgh Steelers following the 2010 season. Now, after seven years apart, the head coach and quarterback could finally be reunited.
Unfortunately, Rodgers was underwhelming in 2025 with the Steelers.
Though the former All-Pro rarely turned the ball over, Rodgers ranked near the bottom of the league in average depth of target, air yards per pass attempt, and air yards per completion. His unwillingness to get aggressive with the football limited Pittsburgh's passing game.
With McCarthy, Rodgers could see a bit of a resurgence. At the very least, McCarthy likes to utilize the middle of the field much more than the previous three offensive play-callers—Randy Fichtner, Matt Canada, and Arthur Smith—have done over the past seven seasons with the Steelers.
Rodgers will turn 43 years old during the 2026 season, should he elect to play next year. While his arm talent still pops on film, his mobility is shot, and he was skidish in the pocket at times. The Steelers aren't going to find much success in the passing game if Rodgers continues to get rid of the football quicker than any other starting quarterback in the league.
Still, it's not hard to see McCarthy convincing Rodgers to give it one more season. The Pittsburgh Steelers' new head coach will want to be competitive right away. While we may not agree with his tactics, this could include turning to his old quarterback, who just led this team to a 10-7 record during the 2025 season.