The Pittsburgh Steelers named a new head coach in Mike McCarthy on Saturday and it will mark the start of a new era in the Steel City for the first time in nearly 20 years. Since the news broke, speculation has been running rampant about a possible reuniting with McCarthy and quarterback Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh for the 2026 season. The quarterback position is one unknown for the Steelers as they inch closer to free agency and the 2026 NFL Draft, which is being hosted in Pittsburgh. While the rumors have started about the two men reuniting, one former Steelers linebacker gave his opinion on the entire situation.
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Former Green Bay Packers head coach, Mike McCarthy (left) and quarterback Aaron Rodgers go over plays in an NFL game during their time in Green Bay.
While the possible reunion of Rodgers and McCarthy seems to have fans split, with some wanting the Steelers to rebuild and others wanting them to quickly see success under McCarthy, James Harrison took to his podcast this week to give his thoughts. On Saturday, Harrison went on the Deebo and Joe show with former NFL cornerback Joe Haden and the two discussed the possibility of Rodgers returning. Harrison is leaning emphatically to the side of rebuild in this matter.
"I don't see it happening because Aaron [Rodgers] is not the future of the organization," Harrison said. "To be real, I'm hoping he doesn't return. This is a rebuild, period. Because the reality of it is, is that we have to actually rebuild this thing. We are going to have to have a first or second pick losing season if we want to get a franchise quarterback."
Haden also agreed with Harrison during their show. Both of them feel that it is time for the Steelers to cave in and have a "bad" season, causing the franchise to target a highly-touted college quarterback in the NFL Draft. While they both feel this way, the McCarthy hiring is more of a mindset of retooling in Pittsburgh, rather than committing to a full-blown rebuild.
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Steelers President and Owner Art Rooney II speaking to the media following the 2025 season.
The rebuild has worked for several teams around the league, including the Chicago Bears and New England Patriots, who both went from last place in 2024 to division champions in 2025. While fans see that as a possibility for Pittsburgh, Rooney likely doesn't want to turn into a franchise that more so resembles the likes of the New York Jets, Las Vegas Raiders, Arizona Cardinals, or even the Cleveland Browns.
Steelers Hiring McCarthy Means Commitment To Retool Rather Than Rebuild
While the Steelers had several head-coaching candidates, including Los Angeles Rams Defensive Coordinator Chris Shula and Pass Game Coordinator Nate Scheelhaase, they chose to go with the more experienced McCarthy. Much of the backlash amongst fans was due to the lack of interest around the league in McCarthy, with many feeling the Steelers could have waited to name a new head coach. While McCarthy may end up being a good fit in Pittsburgh, Harrison's comments suggest that the Steelers would benefit greater from a rebuild to help find their franchise quarterback.
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New Pittsburgh Steelers head coach, Mike McCarthy coaching on the sidelines during his time with the Dallas Cowboys.
While Harrison's emphatic objection to Rodgers returning probably echoes a lot of what fans are thinking, there certainly is supporting evidence to his philosophy on the current state of the Steelers. The success of Chicago and New England was in large part to them drafting franchise quarterbacks in Caleb Williams and Drake Maye. While the Steelers do have Will Howard, who has not seen playing time in the NFL just yet, it is not clear that the Steelers are sold on him as a franchise quarterback. This uncertainty could lead the Steelers to bringing Rodgers back to join McCarthy, but the recent inconsistency NFL trend at the quarterback position suggests they may want to think otherwise.
Would you welcome another year of Aaron Rodgers and him reuniting with new head coach Mike McCarthy? Let us know in the comments below!
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