"Absence Makes The Heart Grow Fonder": Steelers Set To Encourage Big Reunion In 2026

The Pittsburgh Steelers are under new leadership, and with the addition of new head coach Mike McCarthy to the fold, change has been made throughout the organization. As McCarthy continues to fill out the rest of his staff, all eyes will turn to impending free agents, as certain players on the Steelers will be forced to make decisions on whether or not they want to remain in Pittsburgh. Some of these players will inevitably stay, while others test the free agent market. Certain players who will become free agents could receive varying levels of treatment from the team, which could anger the fans who want them to remain, but others are going to be brought back simply because the coaching staff wants them back.

There are particular players that McCarthy himself likes, some of which are players he has had past experiences with at other teams, that could end up finding their way to Pittsburgh or could remain in Pittsburgh at McCarthy's behest. One of these players is current Steelers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, as he and McCarthy have spent time together with the Green Bay Packers, winning Super Bowl XLV against the Steelers themselves.

According to Jay Glazer when he joined Yahoo Sports Daily to talk about impending free agent news, along with news on players who might unexpectedly get traded, he brought up the fact that Rodgers has been in contact with McCarthy since McCarthy accepted the job as Steelers head coach. 

It's no secret that McCarthy has wanted Rodgers to play for one more year with the Steelers, but the hold up on this situation has been whether or not Rodgers wanted to play for McCarthy again. According to Glazer, it seems like the answers will become clear sooner rather than later.

"[Rodgers] and Mike McCarthy have talked," Glazer said. "I think it's more an appreciation for Mike now than he had, by a lot. Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

The fact that an appreciation exists now, seems to bode well that Rodgers would return to the Steelers in 2026. It won't be official for quite some time, even with the Steelers giving Rodgers an ultimatum on how much time he has to let the team know about whether or not he'll play or not, but an important hurdle has been cleared to make Rodgers' return more likely than not. 

The return of Rodgers to the lineup will surely produce mixed reactions among both fans and the players themselves, but if he decides to return, the Steelers have a solid option at quarterback entering the 2026 season. Should Rodgers decide to retire or leave for another team, the Steelers will have to get creative in their search for their next quarterback, unless they decide that an option on their current roster is someone they can trust to keep the team competitive. However, at the moment, it seems that conversations are beginning to gauge Rodgers' interest in returning to Pittsburgh.

Should Rodgers decide to return to the Steelers for one more season, the team needs to make comprehensive changes to how they run their offense with him under center. This is something they will undoubtedly be doing, given McCarthy's expertise as an offensive coordinator prior to becoming a head coach, but to get the most out of Rodgers' final year or two, the team will need to completely revise their approach to how they approach the offseason.

Steelers Need To Help Aaron Rodgers As Much As Possible

Rodgers had some incredible performances in the 2025 NFL season, but the lack of playmakers up and down the roster hurt the team's chances to succeed. If the Steelers want to commit to Rodgers returning, they need to ensure they get Rodgers more receiving threats next season, allowing him to spread the ball around among more targets than attempting to force it to one or two players, making the offense one dimensional.

What did you think about Glazer's remarks about McCarthy and Rodgers? Let us know in the comments below.

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