The Pittsburgh Steelers may have lost any chance of bringing back Aaron Rodgers when Mike Tomlin decided to step down as coach, but they may have one path to convincing him to return with one hire.
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network said on “The Rich Eisen Show” Friday that Mike McCarthy is a “serious candidate” for the Steelers job, and that the team might be intrigued by his history of developing young quarterbacks. He added, however, that McCarthy might be the only candidate who could tempt Rodgers into playing for one more season in Pittsburgh.
“I do believe that if Aaron Rodgers were coming back to play for one coach in 2026, it would be Mike McCarthy,” Pelissero said. “I think that people may have misconstrued that as, this is the Steelers trying to lure back Aaron Rodgers. That’s not it at all. If they hire Mike McCarthy, they are doing it for the totality of what direction they think that they can go right now. … The potential of an Aaron Rodgers return is kind of a bonus.”
💻 @TomPelissero
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) January 23, 2026
What's the latest on the #HereWeGo head coach search? Could Mike McCarthy be their man?#NFL pic.twitter.com/dp8k2RpT3Z
Pelissero acknowledged the claims about Rodgers’ past relationship with McCarthy, but suggested that the issues were overblown and that the two are on good terms now. Rodgers did congratulate McCarthy when his former coach landed the Dallas Cowboys job in 2020.
The Steelers have suggested that they would welcome Rodgers back in 2026 if he wanted to continue playing. Rodgers himself has been mum about his future, though it was quickly suggested that Tomlin’s departure made the quarterback’s potential return much less likely.
McCarthy, a Pittsburgh native, has already interviewed with the Steelers and appears to be on their short list of candidates for the job. He has a 174-112-2 record as an NFL head coach with the Packers and Cowboys.
