Art Rooney reveals the role Steelers QB Aaron Rodgers played in his decision to name Mike McCarthy Pittsburgh’s new head coach

Art Rooney and the Steelers aren’t ruling out anything at quarterback in 2026.

Rob Gregson — NFL News Writer
Add as preferred source on Google
© Michael Longo/For USA Today Network-PA / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Pittsburgh Steelers are descending on Mobile, Alabama, this week, ahead of the 2026 Senior Bowl. Before the bombshell report on Saturday afternoon, the prevailing notion was that the Steelers would be heading south without a head coach in place.

Then came the news that Art Rooney and the rest of the Steelers brass decided to end the waiting game and tied themselves to Mike McCarthy. That immediately brings a ton of talking points to the city, none of which are bigger than what happens at quarterback.

Well, Steelers owner Art Rooney spoke for the first time since the move, and he had a lot to say.

Art Rooney says Aaron Rodgers was not a factor in the decision to hire Mike McCarthy

“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. We don’t know what Aaron’s [Rodgers] plans are right now, and that did not weigh heavily in the decision,” Rooney said via Bob Labriola of Steelers.com

“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.”

I’ll be honest: until I see that Rodgers has turned in his cleats for beach sandals for good, I’ll have a hard time believing that McCarthy and Rodgers were mutually exclusive here. We know that Rooney said less than two weeks ago that Rodgers was only in Pittsburgh because of Mike Tomlin. Well, now, the man who coached Rodgers for nearly two decades is in Pittsburgh.

From the Steelers’ standpoint, they are staring down a very lean quarterback class, via both free agency and the NFL Draft. Their best bet, if Rodgers doesn’t return, would be taking a shot on Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Ty Simpson in Round 1, or seeing what they have in Will Howard, which McCarthy seems open to.

Mike McCarthy is a fan of Steelers QB Will Howard

“[McCarthy] likes Will Howard, thinks Will has tremendous upside and is looking forward to working with him,” added Rooney. “Obviously feels like Mason [Rudolph] can be a contributor. We’ll have to sit down and discuss where Aaron [Rodgers] is, if he decides to come back, and whether that all makes sense. I think Mike was very comfortable with the quarterback room and the possibilities with the quarterback room. In particular, the fact we have a young quarterback on the roster in whom he sees some upside.”

The Steelers are betting on McCarthy to solve the quarterback position over the life of his five-year deal. Maybe he has one more run with Rodgers in him. If not, the Steelers will be expecting him to find the next Rodgers, and fast.

Related Articles