The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to have the same starting quarterback in Week 1 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2020-2021, which is a nice change of pace as the position has been a revolving door for the franchise ever since Ben Roethlisberger retired. Aaron Rodgers ultimately decided to return to Pittsburgh after taking a decent amount of time to make a decision on his future during the 2026 offseason, and he has already said that this will be the final season of his playing career. He is reuniting with Head Coach Mike McCarthy, who he didn't end things in the best of ways with while the two were together with the Green Bay Packers.
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Steelers' Aaron Rodgers sits in his locker before a home game against the Green Bay Packers in 2025.
Rodgers and McCarthy ended things on rocky terms while the two were in Green Bay. McCarthy was let go in the middle of the season, and Matt LaFleur came in to take over. There were times where he and Rodgers also butted heads. This is a common occurrence for Rodgers, but all of his former coaches have nothing but good things to say about him. He just demands greatness from everyone involved with the team, which sometimes makes tensions rise.
This was the case during Rodgers' time with the New York Jets under Robert Saleh. Rodgers was hurt for all of 2023, but he returned to the field in 2024 for Saleh. There were times where the two did not agree, and Rodgers even had some strange comments in the media. However, in a recent appearance on Pardon My Take, Saleh had nothing but good things to say about his time with the Jets and his time with Rodgers when he was asked about Rodgers' tearing his Achilles in the 2023 opener.
"There's a lot of mixed emotions from a coaching standpoint," Saleh said. "One for Aaron, because I know how much work he put in. How important it was for him to have success, he's a Hall of Famer, he has nothing to prove, but there's still something to prove when you leave your organization. And he was elite with regards to being a teammate throughout that offseason, getting himself and the team unified. For him to go down and lose his entire season just like that, sympathetically that sucked for him."
Saleh and Rodgers had some heated moments that were captured on the sideline, but the head coach does not have any ill will towards his former quarterback. He spoke highly of him as a teammate, which is an area of Rodgers' game that the media consistently questions.
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Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (8) during 2025 training camp in Latrobe, PA.
Saleh was fired by New York in the middle of the 2024 season, and there were of course tons of rumors that Rodgers had something to do with the decision. The veteran quarterback vehemently denied those rumors after it happened in 2024, and judging by the way Saleh talks about the quarterback, there was no truth to them.
Saleh is now the head coach of the Tennessee Titans. He spent just one season back as a defensive coordinator before accepting another head coaching gig, and he is certainly hoping this one goes better.
Steelers' 2026 Schedule Reunites Aaron Rodgers With Robert Saleh
The Steelers are scheduled to take on the Titans in 2026, and this matchup will come in Week 17 as it is the second to last game of the regular season. This comes at a pivotal time as the Steelers will hopefully be vying for playoff positioning, while the Titans could be too. Tennessee is an underrated team in regards to the offseason the franchise just put together. The proper upgrades were made, and the AFC South has been known to flip on a dime. The Titans could be competing for a Wild Card spot come Week 17, which would make this game even more interesting. There will be storylines involving Rodgers and Saleh leading up to this contest, but neither side will play into it.
What do you think about Saleh's comments on Rodgers? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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