The Pittsburgh Steelers are publicly conveying patience with veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the decision he has to make about the 2026 NFL season. That didn’t change when Steelers new head coach Mike McCarthy addressed Rodgers on Monday.
McCarthy spoke out on the quarterback and Rodgers’s free agency decision at former Green Bay Packers president Bob Harlan’s celebration of life to begin this week. The head coach shared his answer with Harlan’s son and NFL broadcaster Kevin Harlan.
“It’d be a great story,” McCarthy said of coaching Rodgers in Pittsburgh, via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky. “I don’t know [if he’s going to play], and I would love to tell everybody breaking news.
“But it’s really cool to see Aaron at 42. To see a young man at 22 and all of what he’s been able to accomplish, and where he’s at in his personal life and trying to make the decision.
“He’s in a really good place.”
McCarthy served as Rodgers’s head coach with the Green Bay Packers for the first 13 seasons of the signal-caller’s career. During that time, Rodgers won two MVP awards and his Super Bowl title.
With that in mind, it would be fitting for Rodgers to end his career playing again for McCarthy.
Mike McCarthy, Steelers Waiting on Aaron Rodgers Decision
McCarthy’s comments didn’t deviate from what others with the Steelers organization have said about Rodgers this offseason.
Like general manager Omar Khan at the NFL combine, McCarthy implied the team wants Rodgers to return. But they are waiting on the quarterback to decide if he wants to play.
That’s notable, though, for one reason. Before NFL free agency began, Rodgers suggested he didn’t have an offer from the Steelers to consider.
“There’s been no deadline that’s been put in front of me. There’s no contract offer or anything. So, there’s nothing that I’m having to debate between,” said Rodgers. “I’m a free agent and, again, I’m enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the offseason.”
That makes it a little unclear who is actually waiting for who in this situation. But it’s possible the Steelers are waiting for Rodgers to decide he wants to play before offering him a contract.
Regardless, the wait with Rodgers is on its third week and counting.
When Will Rodgers Make Final Call on 2026 Season?
NFL insiders reported before free agency began that the quarterback would decide his future much earlier this offseason than last year. In 2025, Rodgers signed with the Steelers on June 5.
This spring, some pundits said Rodgers would sign before free agency started.
That didn’t happen, though, and there doesn’t appear to be an end in sight to McCarthy and his team waiting for Rodgers.
“The Steelers are giving Aaron Rodgers time and space to sort out his future, according to league sources, as he once again mulls retirement,” La Canfora wrote for Sports Boom on March 17. “While there is no direct timeline in place between the veteran quarterback and the reigning AFC North champs, there is a strong expectation in league circles that closure comes in the new few weeks.”
Meanwhile, a lot of media pundits have grown antsy with Rodgers. NFL insiders to personalities to former players have argued the Steelers should move forward with a different quarterback instead of waiting for Rodgers.
Fox Sports’ Nick Wright has submitted the most scathing critic of Rodgers through the first couple weeks of free agency.
“This is all kayfabe. This is wrestling at this point, and, for some reason, he needs to be special,” Wright said Friday. “He can’t sign in the regular wave of free agency, he can’t just be a part of the regular timeline of a season. And this is four years of this now.”
Steelers’ Mike McCarthy Breaks Silence on Aaron Rodgers 2026 Decision