Steelers Introduce Mike McCarthy as New Head Coach

The Pittsburgh Steelers welcomed Mike McCarthy as their new head coach on Tuesday, marking a significant shift for the team. This change comes after Mike Tomlin stepped down, having led the Steelers for 19 seasons.

One of the pressing matters for McCarthy and the Steelers is determining who will be the starting quarterback for the upcoming season.

Aaron Rodgers, who agreed to a one-year deal with the Steelers last year, hasn’t completely ruled out playing again in 2026, though the team is waiting for further developments.

Art Rooney II, the principal owner of the Steelers, indicated that a decision regarding Rodgers’ future should be expected in the “next month or so.”

Rodgers’ potential return would reunite him with McCarthy, but Rooney emphasized that this connection had little influence on their decision to hire McCarthy. “We don’t know what Aaron’s plans are at this point, but that didn’t weigh on our decision,” Rooney stated. He added that while they are open to discussions about Rodgers’ return, the choice to bring in McCarthy was primarily based on his merits.

The Steelers drafted Will Howard in the sixth round of last year’s NFL Draft, and Mason Rudolph signed a two-year contract to stay with the team last March. Rooney shared that McCarthy has a positive outlook on Howard, describing him as having “huge upside.”

On the possibility of Rodgers’ return, Rooney mentioned, “We need to sit down and talk about where Aaron is, if he decides to come back and if it all makes sense.”

Rodgers has remained tight-lipped about his future since the Steelers faced a tough loss to the Houston Texans in the wild-card round recently. Reflecting on the season, he shared, “I’m not going to make an emotional decision. Last year was an overall great year of my life, and being able to come here and be a part of this team is a really good part of it.”

Historically, Rodgers played 18 seasons with the Green Bay Packers before spending time with the New York Jets and then signing with the Steelers last year.