Steelers' Rooney: McCarthy hire 'had very little to do with' Rodgers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are open to Aaron Rodgers returning for the 2026 season, but that didn't factor much into their decision to hire Mike McCarthy as head coach, team owner Art Rooney II said.
"We decided to bring Mike on because we believe that he's the right coach for us at this point to help lead us to a championship," Rooney told team reporter Bob Labriola. "We don't know what Aaron's plans are right now, and that did not weigh heavily in the decision. We'll see where Aaron is, and we've left the door open, but obviously we all have to sit down and see if that makes sense. So, that'll happen sometime in the next month or so.
"But the decision was made based on Mike being the coach we want, and it really had very little to do with whether Aaron is going to be back or not."
Rodgers won 10 of his 16 starts with Pittsburgh this season, throwing for 24 touchdowns versus seven interceptions. The Steelers won the AFC North for the first time since 2020, though they lost in the wild-card round, with longtime head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down the following day.
The 62-year-old McCarthy, whom the Steelers made their fourth head coach since 1969 on Saturday, coached Rodgers for 13 seasons with the Green Bay Packers.
Mason Rudolph and Will Howard are Pittsburgh's only quarterbacks currently under contract for next season. McCarthy apparently sees potential in Howard, who was a sixth-round pick in 2025.
"He likes Will Howard, thinks Will has tremendous upside, and is looking forward to working with him," Rooney added. "Obviously feels like Mason can be a contributor."
Rooney also defended McCarthy's hiring against criticism, pointing to his resume and experience coaching successful quarterbacks.
"He is someone who has a longer track record than many of the other candidates, a winning track record," Rooney said. "He's been a winner everywhere he's been. Probably just as important for our purposes, the quarterbacks that he's worked with have all been very successful. So, he has a proven track record of developing top flight quarterbacks. Those are the things that maybe stick out the most."
In addition to McCarthy, the Steelers held in-person interviews with just two candidates: Brian Flores and Anthony Weaver. Rooney said they didn't bring in more candidates because the franchise felt that it had identified its next coach.
"The message for our fans is: We're very excited," Rooney said. "We think we have a coach who is well-equipped to lead us into the next winning phase of Steelers football, and that's what it's all about. I think they're going to love Coach Mike."