The Pittsburgh Steelers are in a familiar place from last offseason with Aaron Rodgers’ will-he, won’t-he routine. Several national insiders, and even Mike McCarthy himself, have strongly hinted that Rodgers will be back. The tide seems to be shifting. Now McCarthy is taking a much more neutral stance on Rodgers’ future.
“It always points back to healthy communication, and there definitely has been that,” McCarthy said Friday on ESPN Madison’s Wilde and Tausch. “We’ll see what the future holds, but we’re definitely preparing for both scenarios.”
Free agency begins in less than three weeks. Omar Khan’s approach will change depending on Rodgers’ status. If he returns, it will make sense to go after a splashy veteran WR for example. If he doesn’t, they may need to think about adding a veteran quarterback in free agency or via the trade market. The 2026 NFL Scouting Combine next week is a great place to discuss those possibilities with other GMs and personnel execs around the league.
McCarthy’s slight change in tone could just be Rodgers’ desire for things to stay under wraps as long as possible. Mike Tomlin seemed to know as early as April last season that Rodgers was likely signing, but it didn’t happen until June. But this also comes on the heels of at least one reporter sowing doubt in the situation.
CBS Sports’ Aditi Kinkhabwala stated that Rodgers’ chances of returning were “minuscule” based on conversations with people around him in Pittsburgh last year.
With that backdrop, McCarthy’s latest words could be viewed as another sign that Rodgers is trending toward retirement. McCarthy was asked a more direct follow-up question about Rodgers’ interest in returning.
“He is still going through his normal offseason routine,” McCarthy said with a chuckle. “He’s been doing some skiing of late. I don’t wanna put out his personal business. It’s the same conversation I just had with Cam Heyward the other day. I mean these guys that have played a long time, there’s definitely a decompressing period that goes on for the older guys, and that’s where we are.”
If Rodgers is returning, it’s reasonable to assume the Steelers prefer clarity by the start of free agency on March 11. It doesn’t feel like another offseason destined to stretch into June — but Aaron Rodgers has never operated on anyone else’s timeline.
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