One Big Move That Could Lure Aaron Rodgers Back to Steelers in 2026

Perhaps the 42-year-old won’t be calling it a career just yet.

Perhaps this is how the Steelers get Aaron Rodgers to return in 2026. | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

When Aaron Rodgers signed a one-year deal with the Steelers last summer, it felt like a setup for his final chapter. The then-41-year-old took months to decide on his next destination after being released by the Jets, and once he finally put pen to paper on his contract in Pittsburgh, he told ESPN’s The Pat McAfee Show that he was “pretty sure” it would be his last.

In the months since, however, Rodgers led the black and yellow to an AFC North division title and a spot in the postseason—and while reports initially suggested that he wouldn’t be returning to Pittsburgh in 2026, a follow-up has since indicated that the team remains open to re-signing him.

To add some additional fuel to the fire, the Steelers are currently conducting their search for a new head coach following the resignation of Mike Tomlin last week, and will interview Mike McCarthy—Rodgers’ coach in Green Bay from 2006 to ‘18—on Wednesday to potentially be their next man in charge.

On the topic, SNY’s Connor Hughes posted on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday morning about a conversation he’d had with Rodgers toward the end of his time with the Jets, one in which the quarterback mentioned “wherever Mike McCarthy ends up” as his next potential landing spot.

While we're now more than a year removed from that conversation—and the Steelers still need to ultimately hire McCarthy for this situation to materialize—perhaps it's what gets the now 42-year-old to return for a 22nd NFL season.

Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy History

Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy won a Super Bowl with the Packers in 2010. | Matthew Emmons-Imagn Images

Rodgers and McCarthy spent 13 seasons together with the Packers from 2006 to ‘18, a run highlighted by their Super Bowl XLV win that put a cap on the 2010 NFL season.

Following Brett Favre’s first retirement in 2008, McCarthy named Rodgers the starting quarterback in Green Bay, who over the next decade-plus rattled off a 100–57–1 regular-season record while completing 64.8% of his passes for 338 touchdowns and 79 interceptions, and earning two of his four MVP awards in 2011 and '14.

The duo would go on to reach the playoffs eight times, posting an 11–10 record while advancing to the NFC championship game three times and hoisting the aforementioned Lombardi Trophy once. McCarthy was later fired in 2019 after the team missed the postseason in consecutive seasons.

We’ll see if the two—who have since stayed in touch—will ultimately get their storybook ending together in Pittsburgh in 2026.

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