Based on his appearance on The Pat McAfee Show Wednesday, it doesn’t sound like pending free agent quarterback Aaron Rodgers will make a decision on his future anytime soon.
But for former teammate T.J. Lang, who appeared on the Go Long TD podcast with Ty Dunner that published Friday morning, he expects Rodgers to make a decision quickly. And that decision will be to return to the NFL for a second season with the Pittsburgh Steelers, reuniting with head coach Mike McCarthy.
“I feel like we’re gonna find out. I mean, I feel like we’re gonna find out in the next week,” Lang said of Rodgers’ decision, according to video via the show’s YouTube page. “You can’t wait until May anymore. We got free agency coming up. I think Aaron’s gonna try one more year. I would say that because I think he had a couple really tough years in New York, obviously the first year with the Achilles, the second year. Just being in an overall dysfunctional organization, I think wears on you.
“I would say maybe he got that little bit of a taste last year by making it to the playoffs and feeling like, hey, we’re not far off. And maybe him and Mike have, you know, mended some things.
Though he stated Wednesday on McAfee’s show that he doesn’t even have a contract offer from the Steelers yet, all signs still seem to point to Rodgers’ return in 2026, giving him a chance to reunite with McCarthy, whom he spent a number of years with in Green Bay.
While that tenure together didn’t end well with McCarthy’s firing and some reports that he and Rodgers were clashing, the future Hall of Fame quarterback raved about McCarthy, calling him one of the best guys in the NFL and a coach who brings accountability and an attention to detail.
The two spent time together before a Packers-Cowboys game in 2022, too, and those issues all seem to be water under the bridge at this point.
McCarthy made it clear during his introductory press conference that he wants Rodgers back. The Steelers are leaving the door open for the 42-year-old to return. It’s all setting up for a storybook reunion. As Lang said, absence makes the heart grow fonder.
Omar Khan on door open for Aaron Rodgers to return in 2026: "The door's open to have Aaron back. I've had conversations with him. I spoke to him last week. You know, Mike McCarthy spoke to him and he knows how we feel about him. Right now we're proceeding. He's a free agent and…
— Steelers Depot 7⃣ (@Steelersdepot) February 24, 2026
“Mike and Aaron spending so much time together and then spending a good amount of time away from each other, maybe that makes you appreciate each other a little bit more,” Lang said. “I could definitely see Aaron coming back for one more year playing for Mike, and it’d be good to watch those two get back on the same page and maybe have a good amount of success out there.
“I’d be rooting for both of them.”
It would be quite the story. But that would require Rodgers making a decision — and soon. The Steelers are in no position to be waiting around. Really, the Steelers should make the decision for Rodgers. But if they’re going to give him some more time to think about things, hopefully he makes that decision quickly.
Recommended for you