Steelers' Mike McCarthy seems to confirm surprising Aaron Rodgers update

Last summer, former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin acknowledged that he "knew something" about whether or not quarterback Aaron Rodgers would sign with the club before the 2025 NFL Draft got underway. 

The Steelers passed on spending a high-value draft pick on a signal-caller, and Rodgers eventually joined Pittsburgh in June. Some have assumed history is repeating itself for the Steelers this spring, but that was before it was recently reported that Rodgers re-signing with the club is not a "slam dunk." 

While speaking with reporters on Monday, recently hired Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy suggested that Rodgers hasn't made a final call about playing this fall or retiring. 

Why Aaron Rodgers hasn't yet told Steelers about decision for 2026 season

"I think he's in a really good spot in his life," McCarthy said about Rodgers, according to Brooke Pryor of ESPN. "But he's 42." 

This past weekend, Steelers owner/president Art Rooney II told reporters that he expects to get a final answer from Rodgers about the 2026 campaign before the upcoming draft gets underway in Pittsburgh on the night of April 23. It sounds like McCarthy thinks there's at least a chance that Rodgers won't be atop the Pittsburgh depth chart come September. 

"I think like anything, people talk about having a plan," McCarthy said about how the Steelers may react if Rodgers retires. "I think you have to have a system of player acquisition. We do every position. So you got to be able to adjust. You got to be proactive with that thought process. ... There really aren't too many scenarios we haven't talked about."

Signing veteran Kirk Cousins is one scenario currently available for a Steelers team that would have to start longtime backup Mason Rudolph or unproven 2025 rookie Will Howard if it had to play a game this coming weekend. Other clubs are interested in acquiring Cousins as a backup, but he presumably could be given a chance to win the Pittsburgh starting job this summer. 

Why Mike McCarthy isn't concerned about Aaron Rodgers uncertainty

McCarthy was Rodgers' head coach when they were with the Green Bay Packers from 2006 through much of the 2018 season, and the two remain close. On Monday, McCarthy revealed that he and Rodgers have spoken "weekly, every couple of days" this offseason. McCarthy also touched upon why he isn't panicking about the state of Pittsburgh's quarterback room.

"I think experience plays into it, not only talking about [Rodgers'] experience, but about my own," McCarthy explained, per Teresa Varley of the Steelers' website. "I'm in a position that 20 years ago, and I think we all do this, 20 years ago, you probably reacted to situations a little different than you do today. Emotional, education and maturity is a real thing. But I'm comfortable with the dialogue that's occurred. We'll just keep working."

If that comfort level exists because McCarthy truly knows that Rodgers will return to the Steelers at some point, those involved have decided to keep it a mystery for whatever reason.