How Steelers reportedly feel about supposed Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy concerns

It was learned over the weekend that Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers had officially come to terms on a one-year contract for Rodgers to remain Pittsburgh's starting quarterback for another season.

Before that, NFL insider Tyler Dunne of Go Long shared that he had heard from a source familiar with Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy, who said those two will "be at each other’s throats and fighting in no time." 

The relationship between McCarthy and Rodgers reportedly soured across their final seasons together with the Green Bay Packers from 2006 through much of the 2018 campaign. For a piece published on Monday, NFL reporter Jason La Canfora of SportsBoom US touched upon whether or not people within the Steelers are worried about how Rodgers and McCarthy will get along through at least January 2027.

The Steelers are "very comfortable" with the Aaron Rodgers, Mike McCarthy dynamic

"While Rodgers had an ugly fallout in Green Bay with then head coach Mike McCarthy, who is now entering his first season in that role in Pittsburgh, the Steelers are very comfortable with that dynamic and McCarthy was always on board with allowing the center of attention to bathe in months of intrigue (faux intrigue) to eventually come back to the Steelers after reaching the playoffs with them a year ago," La Canfora wrote about the situation. 

The Steelers hired McCarthy this past winter, and numerous stories hinted throughout the spring that people within the Steelers were confident Rodgers wanted to once again play for the coach. During a March appearance on "The Pat McAfee Show," Rodgers said that he had "so much love for Mike and appreciation for the time we spent together." 

That love and appreciation seemingly haven't disappeared over the past couple of months. 

What the Steelers would have done had Aaron Rodgers retired

The fact that the Steelers ended this year's draft with 2025 rookie Will Howard, longtime backup Mason Rudolph and 2026 third-round pick Drew Allar in their quarterback room caused many to assume McCarthy and Co. knew for some time that Rodgers always planned to re-sign with Pittsburgh. 

According to La Canfora, "the Steelers were going to do what they could to help Howard prepare for starting reps" had Rodgers not reported for the start of OTAs on Monday. McCarthy can now punt such discussions down the road for whenever Rodgers isn't available for whatever reason.