Why Steelers reportedly think they'll get best version of Aaron Rodgers during 2026 season

Current Pittsburgh Steelers starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers hasn't hidden over the past year or so that he didn't love aspects of his two-season stint with the New York Jets, which officially ended in March 2025. 

Months after the Steelers hired Mike McCarthy as their head coach this past winter, Rodgers returned to Pittsburgh's active roster and then confirmed that he plans to retire following the upcoming campaign. Rodgers first had McCarthy as a head coach while with the Green Bay Packers from 2006 through much of the 2018 season, but their familiarity with each other isn't the only reason that NFL insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated seems to think Rodgers will empty the figurative tank over the next handful of months.

Aaron Rodgers feels he has "nothing to lose" ahead of walk-off season with Steelers?

"My sense is that you’re going to get a liberated, nothing-to-lose version of Rodgers this year," Breer wrote. "Why? Well, two years ago, Rodgers told me he really wanted to enjoy being a football player again after years of trying to show people he’s more than that. That last season in New York may not have meshed with that goal. But last year did — and the one thing I’ve heard consistently is how much he enjoyed the year, and the locker room. So now, my guess is you’ll get a version of Rodgers who has a great appreciation for everything around him, with the perspective that he gave McCarthy with that math. And the cool thing is, for those two, it really is like riding a bike after they spent all those years together, one of which ended with a Lombardi Trophy, and two more with Rodgers winning MVP."

In September 2023, Rodgers famously suffered an Achilles tendon rupture just four offensive snaps into his Jets debut. More recently, he dealt with a reported small fracture in his left (non-throwing) wrist that he suffered in Week 11 of the 2025 season while with the Steelers. Rodgers then looked like a player past his prime when he had a fourth-quarter fumble and a fourth-quarter interception returned for touchdowns in a 30-6 wild-card playoff loss to the Houston Texans this past January. 

Nevertheless, Rodgers wanted to reunite with McCarthy for a "Last Dance" season to pursue a second career Super Bowl ring. McCarthy acknowledged during a conversation with Breer that he understands what it will take for Rodgers to ultimately view the upcoming campaign as a success.

Mike McCarthy "not ignorant" to what he, Aaron Rodgers must do to win big with Steelers

"The first day on the practice field, the mannerisms, man, it’s kind of cool to see it in the black-and-gold," McCarthy, who grew up a Steelers fan in the Greenfield area of Pittsburgh, said about Rodgers. "Yeah, the whole reunion and pulling this thing together has been awesome. I’m definitely enjoying it, but I’m not ignorant to the amount of work that him and I have to do."

McCarthy added that Rodgers is "the easy part for me." It remains to be seen if that will be the case through the Steelers' final game of the season or if Rodgers will perform like a shell of his former great self when Pittsburgh needs him the most.