The 2026 offseason feels like deja vu. Last year, people wondered whether Aaron Rodgers would hang up his cleats or suit up in black and gold. This year, A-Rod is playing the same game with his silence. Last June, Pittsburgh exhaled only when he signed days before minicamp. But this time, the Steelers don’t have that luxury.

“Aaron needs to make a decision sooner than later, and it probably comes right around the start of the league year, which is on March 11th,” NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero said in conversation with Rich Eisen. 

March 11 is when free agency begins. This time, Pittsburgh can’t drift into it blind at quarterback, not unless they have some clarity. Pelissero confirmed that McCarthy and Rodgers have spoken multiple times, discussing football and sketching out what a reunion looks like. But to make up his mind about 2026, Rodgers will go quiet first.

“He’s got to make his own decision,” Pelissero notes. “Only he knows what’s going on in his life and in his head. He’s going through his usual process where he’s probably going to drop off the grid for a week or two here, really think things through.”

Even with the waiting game, this time feels a little different. Rich Eisen framed the mood bluntly.

News served to you like never before!

Prefer us on Google, To get latest news on feed

Prefer Us on Google

“This sounds like from everybody talking about it, like this is happening and that he’s coming back. He’s going to be the Week 1 starter for the Steelers.”

What makes AR8’s return in black and gold even more likely is the foundation, not just familiarity. If there’s any coach who could tip the scale for Rodgers, it’s the man who built his offensive foundation with the Green Bay Packers for 13 long years.

“This is Mike McCarthy,” Pelissero explained. “This is Aaron going back to his roots. Everything is the foundation of how he plays quarterback. If he’s signing on in March, and maybe he’s here for at least part of the Spring. You know that he’s the quarterback.”

Last season, Rodgers inherited Arthur Smith’s entire offensive system mid-summer. McCarthy’s playbook is already in his DNA. Signing in March, rather than in June like last season, also means a full offseason together, something Steel City never fully got the last time.

Despite this, Rodgers wasn’t just surviving in Pittsburgh, he was producing. Two pivotal wins over the Baltimore Ravens helped the Steelers clinch the AFC North for a 42-year-old still playing meaningful January football. That track record matters when debating whether one more year makes sense.

So for now, the waiting game continues. But not everything is the same as last time. While his predecessor, Mike Tomlin, waited until the last second for Rodgers, Mike McCarthy is not leaving anything up to chance.

Mike McCarthy’s failsafe is already in place

No coach knows quarterback uncertainty better than McCarthy. He survived three uncertain Brett Favre seasons in Green Bay without losing the locker room and then ushered in the Aaron Rodgers era. He’s drawing on that same steadiness for his new job now.

“When you put together a playbook, the part about building the offensive system to make the quarterback successful, that’ll never change,” McCarthy said in a recent ESPN podcast. “But I’m also not naive to the fact that we could be playing with a first-year starter as opposed to a 20-plus-year starter.”

So while Rodgers makes up his mind, McCarthy is already banking on dual preparation with dual playbooks. McCarthy also shared how this is translating on the practice field for the team.

“We had one [conversation] this morning on a play-action play, and I said, ‘If Aaron’s here, we’ll run it this way, and if it’s Will and the young guys, we’ll run it another way,” McCarthy shared on the podcast.

McCarthy also gave a rare glimpse into Rodgers’ current state, revealing that the quarterback has taken an interest in skiing. When asked about the possibility of their reunion, McCarthy kept it pretty straightforward, but did not provide any answers.

“He’s doing what he’s supposed to be doing,” McCarthy said.

Mike McCarthy is simply monitoring how it all unfolds, trusting the process instead of trying to shape it. March 11 is the moment of truth. If Aaron Rodgers says yes, Pittsburgh gets a reunion. If he walks, McCarthy already has Plan B ready. Whatever happens, one thing is certain: the Steelers are done waiting.