Brooke Pryor
Multiple Authors
PITTSBURGH — Here we go (again).
Speaking publicly for the first time since the Pittsburgh Steelers’ season ended in January, four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers was noncommittal about the future of his playing career — with the Pittsburgh Steelers or elsewhere — in a wide-ranging interview with “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday afternoon.
Set to hit free agency in less than a week, the 42-year-old quarterback confirmed the Steelers hadn’t given him a deadline to inform them of his intentions for the 2026 season. Rodgers initially signed a one-year, $13.65 million contract with the team in June 2025 following a prolonged decision-making process. He ultimately went on to start 16 games and throw 24 touchdowns to seven interceptions, leading the Steelers to an AFC North title before a first-round playoff exit at the hands of the Houston Texans.
“There’s been no deadline that’s been put in front of me,” Rodgers told McAfee, adding that he has been laying low and spending time with his wife. “There’s no contract offer or anything, so there’s nothing that I’m having to debate between. I’m a free agent. … I’m enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the off season, and I think there’s conversations to be had down the line, but right now, there hasn’t been any progressive conversations. I love Mike [McCarthy], and Mike and I have kept some contact over the years.
“I’ve had conversations with Omar [Khan]. I think Omar enjoyed having me there. I think the guys had a positive response to our time together, but again, there hasn’t been any deadlines set on me. There hasn’t been any contract floated in front of me for me to like, ‘Well, we’re giving you till March 8 to make a decision on this contract.’ There’s been nothing to that respect.”
During the NFL combine, Khan told reporters that he didn’t envision the process with Rodgers to take as long as it did a year ago. Rodgers visited the Pittsburgh practice facility on March 21, but he didn’t agree to terms on the deal until just before mandatory minicamp on June 5.
“I don’t really want to say it has to be done by then,” Khan said when asked if he needed a decision by the start of free agency on March 11. “Would like to have an idea, but it just isn’t going to go like it did last year.
“… I think the circumstances are a little different, just conversations we had. I think neither side wants to have this drag on like it did last year.”
Rodgers, though, didn’t sound like he was in a hurry during his almost 90-minute appearance on McAfee’s program. Though he mentioned that he had been working out, Rodgers deflected when asked if he was working out because he planned to keep playing and instead joked that he was doing those because he wanted his wife to find him attractive.
“I’m trying to stay fit,” he said. “I mean, it’s harder when you get older, so you can’t take the same amount of time off as you used to. After so many seasons, I would take a few weeks off, a month off, month and a half. Now 42, just to stay in shape, you got to always be dialed in on the diet and sleep and workouts if you want to look the right way.”
He declined to give any specific updates on his plans for the upcoming season, although he did say he was intrigued by the idea of many of his old coaches and familiar faces from Green Bay joining McCarthy’s staff in Pittsburgh. Rodgers, of course, played under McCarthy with the Packers for 13 seasons, and the pair won Super Bowl XLV together.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say that was something that I enjoyed seeing,” Rodgers said of seeing people including offensive line coach James Campen and assistant offensive line coach Jahri Evans take jobs in Pittsburgh. “All those guys getting back together. It’s some of the guys that had the greatest impact on my career.
“… Obviously that would be a draw if I decided we’d go down that path. But again, it takes two to tango, and we’ll see what happens as we get into free agency and everything.”
Rodgers had high praise for McCarthy, too, and was complimentary of the Steelers’ decision to hire him to replace Mike Tomlin after Tomlin stepped down in January.
“Mike’s one of the great guys in the league, just an absolutely exceptional human being with a huge heart,” Rodgers said. “We had a lot of great years together, a lot of fun. He really cares about the players, but he also holds guys accountable and creates a lot of structure and details in the process.
” … Mike bleeds Pittsburgh, PA, and I think there’s something special about that — for a guy who’s going to come home and lead a historic franchise. … There’s only a few of those cornerstone franchises. Who else would you rather have lead? A guy that literally bleeds black and gold and loves the city with all his heart. And this is like a dream job for him.”
Rodgers also spent time during the interview praising Steelers’ 2025 sixth-round quarterback Will Howard, who missed most of the season after injuring the pinky in his throwing hand during training camp. Howard has drawn praise from numerous members of Steelers brass throughout the offseason including Khan and McCarthy. Rodgers affirmed his belief in him Wednesday.
“He was in my hip pocket for a bunch, and I loved it,” Rodgers said. “I really did. I’m a big Will Howard — not just fan as a human — but believer as a player, that when his time comes, he’s going to be more than capable of being, not just a consistent starter, but a guy who can stick in league for a long, long time. And it’s because of his mindset.”
Rodgers said that he has remained in touch with Howard and the rest of the quarterback room including Mason Rudolph and Skylar Thompson through a group chat, and he said that group and wide receiver Ben Skowronek were some of the people who made his season in Pittsburgh “special.”
“Just the way I was treated out there, I had a blast,” Rodgers said, adding that he felt his season went so well in large part because he was happy with his home life. “… It was just a fun group of guys and I really enjoyed my time.”
