With a track record of already having won a championship together, Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers know they can have success as a duo. And while both are years removed from their time together in Green Bay, having Rodgers as his quarterback in his first season as Steelers’ head coach provided McCarthy a comfortability when putting together the offensive strategy.
McCarthy even discussed how much input Rodgers had when designing Pittsburgh’s 2026 offense throughout the offseason.
Mike McCarthy Crafted the Steelers’ Offense for Aaron Rodgers
“Constant collaboration… I think it goes back to where my experience and teaming comes from, coming from the quarterback room. We built this offense around his experience. We’ve made terminology changes. By no means do we want to slow him down…that has been the focus,” said McCarthy during his Monday press conference ahead of his new team’s season-opener on Sunday.
“Constant collaboration…we built this offense around his experience. We’ve made terminology changes. By no means do we want to slow him down…that has been the focus.”
And for McCarthy or any coach, it makes all the sense in the world to create an offense that caters to the needs of the starting quarterback, especially one who will enter the season at 42 and exit it retiring at 43-year-old.
To Rodgers credit, he did play well enough last season to lead the Steelers into the playoffs. He threw for 3,322 yards, completed 65.7% of his passes and tossed 24 touchdowns to seven interceptions. But while Rodgers was an improvement from Pittsburgh’s other recent signal callers, he struggled mightily in the playoffs, throwing for only 146 yards with a pick in a AFC Wild Card Round loss to the Houston Texans.
McCarthy Knows Rodgers is Different Than He Was With Packers
McCarthy knows Rodgers is far from the player he enjoyed when they first worked together with the Packers. Back then, Rodgers was winning four MVPs. And now he’s wrapping up his Hall of Famer career without the mobility and elite accuracy that allowed him to argue as the best in the game.
The hope for the pair is the Steelers’ offense is now improved around Rodgers, most notably thanks to the addition of a true No. 2 wide receiver target in Michael Pittman Jr., filling a clear hole from 2025.
Their partnership is one that comes with pressure as both try to repair their legacies, at least as far as big winners. Both share 11-11 playoff records, with Rodgers’ last win coming in 2020 and McCarthy leaving Dallas with a 1-3 postseason mark. Neither has returned to the Super Bowl since they, ironically, defeated the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV in February, 2011.
Mike McCarthy Gets Candid on Aaron Rodgers’ Input in Steelers’ Offense