For general manager Omar Khan, the waiting game continues. But he doesn’t expect it to last as long as it did in 2025. Speaking to reporters Tuesday morning at the 2026 NFL Combine in Indianapolis, Khan provided the latest on quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
“I’ve been in communication with Aaron,” Khan said via a tweet shared by beat writer Mark Kakboly. “I know Mike [McCarthy] has also. We’ve got good communication on his communication.”
Since becoming the Steelers’ new head coach last month, McCarthy’s confirmed dialogue with Rodgers. Last week, he noted the two have stayed in touch, but also stressed the importance of giving Rodgers time to make a decision and confidently determine if he wants to play a 22nd NFL season.
Rodgers needed three months to sign with Pittsburgh last year. Crucially, Mike Tomlin’s conversational nature without pressuring Rodgers into a deadline to give the Steelers an answer became a key selling point of why the four-time NFL MVP ultimately agreed to a one-year deal in June. Khan is taking a similar approach.
“No deadline,” he said. “All I’ll tell you guys is I don’t, I don’t foresee this going like it did last year.”
Meaning, Khan doesn’t expect Rodgers to need until June again to give Pittsburgh an answer. Strangers a year ago, Rodgers knows the organization well now with McCarthy’s presence as head coach making for a seamless transition that wouldn’t have existed had the team hired anyone else.
The clock has also started much earlier than 2025. This time last year, Rodgers was still with the New York Jets and was a month out from even visiting the Steelers’ facility. This time, his timeline began after the Steelers’ Wild Card loss in January.
Ideally, an answer comes before free agency begins. For Khan, he hopes Rodgers says yes to a return.
“We’d certainly welcome Aaron back,” Khan said, via the Trib’s Chris Adamski. “We had a great experience with him (in 2025).”
Steelers GM Omar Khan: “We’d certainly welcome Aaron (Rodgers) back. We had a great experience with him (in 2025).”
— Chris Adamski (@C_AdamskiTrib) February 24, 2026
It echoes what McCarthy has said since his introductory press conference. Though Khan has been known to give mismatched answers before, focusing on re-signing QB Russell Wilson or Justin Fields a year ago but pivoting to Rodgers, the sentiment seems sincere and universal. Head coach, general manager, and players all want Rodgers back. A decision on whether or not Rodgers will return should be coming soon.
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