The Pittsburgh Steelers are going to be an interesting team to follow throughout the 2026 season due to the amount of change that has occurred within the organization since the 2025 season came to a close. Former head coach Mike Tomlin stepped away from his role after being eliminated from the postseason, and that prompted the first coaching change in Pittsburgh in the last 19 years. The organization went through a thorough coaching search and landed on the experienced Mike McCarthy. He gets to reunite with quarterback Aaron Rodgers because of it. It will be interesting to see how this relationship plays out as things have been rocky in the past.
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Steelers' Aaron Rodgers (8) during 2026 training camp as Head Coach Mike McCarthy looks on in Latrobe, PA.
Rodgers and McCarthy had a ton of success during their time together with the Green Bay Packers. They took down the Steelers in Super Bowl XLV, and Rodgers had two MVP seasons while being coached by McCarthy. The duo is hoping to recapture some of that magic in Pittsburgh, but that is unlikely as Rodgers will be turning 43 during the 2026 season.
Their time together in Green Bay ended when McCarthy was fired in the middle of the 2018 season on Rodgers' birthday. The two had butted heads a bit over their final years together, and a lot was made of their strained relationship. Both have spoken about how they put all of that behind them years ago, and how they have been on good terms for a while now. NFL pundit Mike Florio believes Rodgers has still shown signs of having a lack of respect for McCarthy, and that was displayed by his few media appearances ahead of the 2026 season.
"If Tomlin had returned for a 20th season in Pittsburgh, there’s no way Rodgers would have done this," Florio wrote. "No. Way. Rodgers understands that the comments create a distraction. If Tomlin were still there, Rodgers wouldn’t have done it. With McCarthy in charge, it’s a different vibe. McCarthy doesn’t need the extra layer of aggravation as he attempts to get his Steelers tenure off to the right start. Rodgers, by all appearances, simply doesn’t care."
Florio hypothesizes that Rodgers would not be making some of the controversial comments he has made if Tomlin were still running the show. The veteran quarterback knows that the comments he has been making on The Pat McAfee Show and Not Just Football With Cam Heyward are going to serve as distractions to the team in some regard, but he feels more comfortable under McCarthy so he lets his thoughts fly.
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Steelers' Mike McCarthy speaks with Aaron Rodgers during a training camp practice in 2026.
Steelers' Aaron Rodgers Still Has Respect For Mike McCarthy
Rodgers being loose with his comments is likely just due to the fact that he is entering the final year of his career. He has already said that he is going to be out of the spotlight after he retires, so this is really his last chance to speak on some of the things that he has been involved with throughout his professional career. Florio sees this as a problem, as he believes Rodgers does not respect McCarthy as much as he did Tomlin.
"Bottom line? Rodgers had a very high level of respect for Mike Tomlin," Florio wrote. "Rodgers has a much lower level of respect for Mike McCarthy. Sufficiently low that Rodgers had no qualms about giving McCarthy one more thing to worry about when his sole focus should be to start the post-Tomlin era at 1-0, not 0-1."
Florio is making quite the leap to make a statement like this. He has always been known to be against Rodgers, so it is no surprise that the pundit is trying to frame this in a way that sparks drama between the head coach and the quarterback. The player-coach duo worked together for years and have remained in contact, so Rodgers might just be more comfortable speaking freely with McCarthy in charge.
What do you think of this theory from Florio? Let me know on X, @brogannoey!
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