The 2026 offseason has officially begun, and Aaron Rodgers is once again a free agent. Sound familiar? Last year, free agent Rodgers kept several teams waiting for months before finally landing with the Steelers in June. This time around, though, teams in need of a quarterback might not be as patient.
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For their part, the Steelers have already extended an invite to the four-time MVP, potentially reuniting him with his former head coach, Mike McCarthy, from their Green Bay days. This would be a sweet reunion, and who knows, maybe the duo makes another run to the Super Bowl, assuming Rodgers’ 42-year-old legs don’t hold him back.
But before any of that happens, Rodgers first needs to decide he’s coming back, and then the Steelers have to greenlight a deal. As for how likely both things are to happen, NFL insider Tom Pelissero says the odds are very high, and we could see the official confirmation as soon as March 11, when the new league year begins.
“Well, unlike a year ago when Aaron didn’t make up his mind right before the OTAs in June, I anticipate, and based on my understanding, the communication has been… Aaron needs to make a decision sooner than later, and it probably starts right around the start of the league year, which is on March 11,” Pelissero said during his appearance on The Rich Eisen Show.
Pelissero noted that Rodgers and McCarthy have spoken a number of times in the past few weeks, talked about football, and how a reunion would look in Steel City. Still, the analyst says that Rodgers will be the one to make the final decision here.
“This is Aaron Rodgers. He’s got to make his own decision. Only he knows what’s going on in his life and in his head. He’s going through his usual process, where you know, he’s probably going to drop off the grid for a week or two here, really thinks through,” added the NFL Network analyst.
Pelissero went on to say that he too felt this year could be the end of Rodgers in Pittsburgh after head coach Mike Tomlin stepped down. But he also knew from the beginning that if McCarthy was hired by the team, Rodgers would seriously consider a comeback.
“He’s certainly showing an interest… Mike Tomlin steps down, it seemed like that was probably it, and Aaron was probably gonna be done at that point… But, I said this on this show… if there was one coach that Aaron Rodgers would play for again, despite all the things people had said and written about the relationship, it’s Mike McCarthy. Those guys are still close.”
The analyst also noted how Rodgers didn’t quite feel at home last year, especially with Arthur Smith at OC, someone he never played for. But that changes this year with Mike McCarthy hired.
“This is Mike McCarthy. This is Aaron going back to his roots. Everything is the foundation of how he plays quarterback,” Pelissero said, adding,
“The Steelers, I would anticipate, know that one way or another before the start of free agency, if they don’t know by then, they’re going to have to make other plans. Will Howard is certainly part of it. But I’m with you, Rich. I mean, the odds, as I said on Super Bowl Sunday, are rising that Aaron Rodgers comes back. I don’t see it anywhere else. If he’s going to play, I believe it would be for the Pittsburgh Steelers.”
We’ll have to agree with Tom Pelissero here. The only thing that could make a Aaron Rodgers-Mike McCarthy reunion doubtful is if their past feud from Green Bay still existed. But that doesn’t seem to be the case, so a reunion is very likely. And as for when, as the analyst noted, it should be as soon as March 11.
