In a span of 24 hours, Mike Tomlin’s 19-year dynasty crumbled and Pittsburgh’s quarterback future turned murky. Searching for answers for the head coach spot, the Pittsburgh Steelers front office is now looking at a coach who once turned a backup quarterback into a Hall of Fame champion.

“Steelers are expected to speak with former Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy about their head coach vacancy,” reported NFL insider Adam Schefter on X. “McCarthy is from Pittsburgh, and worked with the Steelers GM Omar Khan in New Orleans in 2000.”

McCarthy, Rodgers’ head coach from their time with the Green Bay Packers, brings serious credentials. Spending thirteen seasons with Green Bay, he watched Aaron Rodgers sit behind Brett Favre for three years, and then unleashed him in 2008. Together, they dominated the NFC, with beating the Steelers in the Super Bowl XLV in 2011 as their biggest highlight. Under McCarthy, Rodgers earned his first two MVPs (2011 and 2014). That’s championship DNA you can’t fake.

But the Pittsburgh connection runs deeper than football for McCarthy. The 62-year-old coach was born in Pittsburgh. He’s worked alongside current GM Omar Khan back in New Orleans. McCarthy served as the offensive coordinator for the New Orleans Saints from 2000 to 2004, while Khan oversaw football operations from 1997 to 2001. That shared history would serve both of them well if McCarthy takes the job. McCarthy’s 5 seasons as the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach also adds more experience to his story: he knows how to handle a team reeling from playoff heartbreak.

But here’s the thing: McCarthy’s hiring could solve one problem while highlighting another bigger issue. Would bringing in Rodgers’’old coach keep the veteran quarterback in Pittsburgh for another season, or is that door already closed?

Will Aaron Rodgers stick around for a reunion?

No surprise, Mike Tomlin’s exit shook Rodgers’ NFL plans immediately. After Tomlin courted and waited months for Rodgers to suit up in black and gold, Rodgers, too, made it clear that he was playing for Tomlin. But post Tomlin’s exit, Steelers president Art Rooney II didn’t sugarcoat it.

“Look, Aaron came here to play for Mike. So I think it would most likely affect his decision,” Rooney said when asked about Rodgers’ future.

Rodgers is 42, and he’s already hinted that 2025 might be his last season before hanging up the cleats. Tomlin stepping away only accelerates that timeline. To be fair, a reunion with Mike McCarthy could flip the script, especially since they’ve won before. But Rodgers’ motivation without Tomlin at the helm remains questionable at best. And even Rooney understands that.

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“I’m sure the quarterback position will be an important part of this discussion with the candidates,” Rooney said. “We’ll have to develop a plan for going forward.”

But the Steelers won’t be rushing into a decision. They’ve hired just three head coaches since 1969: Chuck Noll, Bill Cowher, and Mike Tomlin. That’s a legendary organizational stability, and this impending decision will carry serious weight for the franchise’s future.

Whether McCarthy lands in Pittsburgh remains uncertain. But the possibility of him returning home, this time in black and gold, and potentially convincing his former MVP to run it back one more season would be quite the storyline. Rodgers isn’t rushing into anything either. The next few weeks will tell us how Pittsburgh’s future unfolds.