Even at a funeral to pay respects to the late Green Bay Packers President and CEO Bob Harlan, Mike McCarthy couldn’t escape an Aaron Rodgers question. Asked if he had an update on Rodgers’ future, McCarthy said he didn’t, but offered the latest on a slow-moving situation.
“It’d be a great story,” McCarthy said when asked about the prospects of reuniting with Rodgers. “I don’t know. I would love to tell everybody breaking news. It’s really cool to see Aaron at 42. To see a young man at 22 and all that he’s been able to accomplish. Where he’s at in his personal life and trying to make this decision.
“He’s in a really good place. I think he’s in a really good place.”
McCarthy’s final comment came with a pause, smile, and laughter from the crowd.
Rodgers has had nearly 10 weeks to ponder his NFL future, but there are no signs a decision is imminent. Despite GM Omar Khan expressing confidence at the NFL Combine that the situation would resolve “sooner than later,” the Steelers may not know for quite some time. Media reports hint at an answer before the end of the month, but their goalposts keep shifting and are impossible to trust. Rodgers’ tight inner-circle, one he’s admitted has shrunk over time, keeps even the NFL’s best insiders out of the loop.
McCarthy and Rodgers remain in communication and have spoken multiple times since Pittsburgh hired McCarthy in January.
Over the weekend, Rodgers attended a charity football event and invited Will Howard. Perhaps a sign Rodgers intends to return, but until word comes from Rodgers, everything is speculation.
McCarthy began coaching Rodgers in 2006. Hired as the Green Bay Packers head coach, McCarthy remapped Rodgers’ mechanics and helped turn him into a Super Bowl winner, Hall of Famer, and one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Pittsburgh has welcomed Rodgers back after an enjoyable 2025, one in which Rodgers seemed rejuvenated and having fun after two miserable years with the New York Jets.
With McCarthy and several former Packers’ coaches now in Pittsburgh, a reunion makes sense. Still, only Rodgers knows his future. If McCarthy is being sincere, even he doesn’t know. When an answer comes, he figures to be among the first to find out.
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