The Pittsburgh Steelers have now named just their fourth head coach in nearly 60 years, as Mike McCarthy was announced Saturday to be taking the job in the Steel City. With McCarthy now at the helm, there is plenty of speculation about the possibility of the Steelers bringing quarterback Aaron Rodgers back for one more year with the organization. McCarthy and Rodgers worked together for much of their respective careers during their time with the Green Bay Packers. In that time, McCarthy and Rodgers won a Super Bowl against Pittsburgh, winning Super Bowl XLV 21-25 over the Steelers at Cowboys Stadium.
Louis DeLuca / The Dallas Morning News
Former Green Bay Packers head coach, Mike McCarthy admired the Lombardi Trophy as Terry Bradshaw looks on after Super Bowl XLV at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on Sunday, February 6, 2011.
On Monday, insider Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wrote about a one-on-one conversation he had with Steelers Team President and Owner Art Rooney II. In this one-on-one, Rooney II discussed a possible reunion between McCarthy and Rodgers in Pittsburgh. Rooney made it clear, however, that there would need to be a conversation between both parties before a reunion would happen.
"We don't know what Aaron is thinking right now, so we don't want to jump to conclusions until we know that," Rooney II said. "And we don't want to jump to conclusions until Mike and Aaron have a chance to really sit down and talk about how they would feel about working together for another year. So there's more to come on that front. Let's put it that way."
While it seemed all but certain one more season in Pittsburgh was not going to happen with Rodgers, the hiring of McCarthy keeps those chances alive for the time being. Rooney also mentioned something interesting in that the Steelers will know within a month or so about a possible reunion with Rodgers.
Kevin C. Cox / Getty Images
New Steelers head coach, Mike McCarthy (left) next to quarterback Aaron Rodgers (right) during their days together in Green Bay.
This is a different scenario compared to last year, as Rodgers did not sign in Pittsburgh until June of 2025. It appears the Steelers want to have an answer sooner rather than later so they know which direction they will go at quarterback moving forward.
Steelers Refuse To Rebuild With McCarthy Hire
While the hiring was met with much angst across the fan base, McCarthy has the chance to quiet that crowd should this be more of a retool than a rebuild. With a conversation potentially looming between McCarthy and Rodgers, a reunion could bode well for results on the field in Pittsburgh based on their past successes together. Two of Rodgers' four NFL MVP Awards were earned during his time in Green Bay under McCarthy.
While the Steelers appear to have refused to commit to a rebuild with the hire, they did shift direction in the background McCarthy comes from. The Steelers have long been known to hire a defensive-minded head coach in the past. McCarthy is more of an offensive-minded coach, with ties to quarterbacks such as Joe Montana, Brett Favre, and Dak Prescott (as well as Rodgers). All those quarterbacks have been coached by McCarthy during his coaching career. This is an area of much-needed improvement should the Steelers retool and get back to the postseason in 2026, which would have them looking to snap a near-decade long playoff-win drought.
Dallas Morning News
Former Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy talking with quarterback Dak Prescott in an NFL game during his time as coach in Dallas.
There will be several positions of need for the Steelers when free agency begins and they look to host the NFL Draft in Pittsburgh. One of those needs should be improving the wide receiver room and finding someone to take attention away from DK Metcalf. Should Rodgers decide to reunite with McCarthy, the Steelers need to find ways to improve their offense along the way.
Would you like to see a McCarthy and Rodgers reunion in Pittsburgh for 2026? Let us know in the comments below!
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