As the Pittsburgh Steelers enter a new era under possibly a new Super Bowl-winning head coach, it would only be natural to expect Aaron Rodgers to continue at the team following a reunion. After the Steelers’ head coach, Mike Tomlin, stepped down, many assumed that the QB might be done with the NFL. But now, with Pittsburgh hiring Rodgers’ former Packers coach Mike McCarthy, the conversation has suddenly shifted to another run for the QB with the franchise. Yet, a former Steelers linebacker urged the franchise to move on from Rodgers. 

“Aaron is not the future of the organization,” James Harrison said on the latest episode of his Deebo and Joe podcast. “To be real, I am hoping he doesn’t return like you said, dude, this is a rebuild, period. Because the reality of it is that we have to actually rebuild this thing. We are going to have to have a first or second pick losing season if we want to get a franchise quarterback.”

Age has become impossible to ignore in the Aaron Rodgers conversation, and that is where Harrison’s ask to abandon Rodgers in favor of a new QB starts to carry real weight about a rebuild. At 42, Rodgers was already the oldest quarterback in the NFL last season, holding that distinction until Philip Rivers later entered the picture. If Rodgers were to continue this year, he would turn 43, putting him just one year younger than Rivers at the same point. The truth is that Rodgers is not a long-term option for a rebuild.

Aaron Rodgers threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions while leading the Steelers to a 10-7 record and a playoff berth in the past season. On paper, that looks like a successful season for Rodgers. But after another Wild Card round exit, James Harrison believes that at 42, Rodgers simply isn’t the long-term answer.

Rodgers’ history with Mike McCarthy is rooted in one postseason run that still defines their partnership. During the 2010 playoffs, Rodgers was at his absolute best under McCarthy’s system, carving up defenses on the road and on the biggest stage. He threw for 1,094 yards with nine touchdowns and just two interceptions across four playoff games, including a near-flawless performance against Atlanta and a three-touchdown Super Bowl showing against Pittsburgh.

Harrison thinks that the Steelers need a losing season to draft a young QB and get back to contending. Take the New England Patriots as an example of what a real reset can accomplish. The franchise suffered through back-to-back 4-13 seasons and used that losing record to land star QB Drake Maye with the No. 3 pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Now, the Patriots are in the AFC Championship game after a polar opposite 14-3 record in the 2025 regular season.

But the Steelers have had a top-10 pick only twice since 2000(10th in 2019 and 8th in 2000). The franchise has not owned the No. 1 overall pick since 1970, when a 1-13 season allowed them to draft Terry Bradshaw. Add this to the fact that Pittsburgh hasn’t had a losing season since 2003, and you start to see the dilemma. 

Drafting a rookie QB is still a gamble, no matter where the Steelers pick. But looking at the 2026 NFL Draft class ahead doesn’t exactly inspire confidence for the Steelers to pick a young QB. After a 3-14 season, the Las Vegas Raiders own the No. 1 pick in the draft, and they’re projected to select Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza. After Mendoza, most scouts see a significant drop-off at the position. So, if a potential young franchise QB is not available, Harrison believes that bringing back Aaron Rodgers will make sense for the Steelers.

“Is it somebody there for the next season?” James Harrison continued. “Because again, this would be a reason why I would be like, ‘Okay, I want to bring Aaron back,’ why? Because it will still make us competitive. We definitely 100% need a franchise quarterback – no losing seasons that make us middle of the pack…Whoever we pick, we are looking at this for the long term.”

Aaron Rodgers’ one-year deal expires this offseason, and the Steelers must choose a long-term direction for his position. However, while the QB question remains open, Pittsburgh seems to have already settled on its next head coach.

The Steelers confirm their decision on hiring Mike McCarthy

After 19 seasons with Mike Tomlin leading the franchise, the Steelers began searching for only their fourth head coach since 1969. They explored several candidates, but in the end, it was Mike McCarthy who landed the job with the Steelers. 

“Coming home: The Steelers are working towards a deal to hire Mike McCarthy as their head coach, per sources,” Tom Pelissero reported via X on January 24. “McCarthy grew up in Pittsburgh. Now, at age 62, the Super Bowl winner gets a chance to coach the team he grew up rooting for.”

This marks Mike McCarthy’s third head-coaching stint. He spent five seasons with the Dallas Cowboys, finishing 49-35 in the regular season but just 1-3 in the playoffs. Dallas then chose not to extend his contract after the 2024 season. His run with the Green Bay Packers, however, tells a much more successful story. 

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Over 12 seasons in Green Bay, Mike McCarthy won six NFC North titles. In 2011, he also led the team to a Super Bowl win after defeating the Steelers 31-25. Interestingly enough, McCarthy’s quarterback back then was Aaron Rodgers. It was under McCarthy that his NFL career took off.

ARod won two MVP awards in the NFL with Mike McCarthy as his head coach. Rodgers and McCarthy’s relationship reportedly became strained near the end of Green Bay, culminating in the head coach’s firing. So, in Pittsburgh now, their reunion might not be accidental.

“There was belief in the building that hiring Mike McCarthy could bring Aaron Rodgers back in the fold,” ESPN’s Brooke Pryor recently reported on X. “Now we’ll see what the QB does.”

All in all, Aaron Rodgers hasn’t announced his plans for the 2026 season yet. But after snapping a three-year playoff drought and looking rejuvenated with the Steelers in 2025 (last playing a postseason in 2021), could he really walk away now? The Steelers may try to lure him into giving it one more shot under Mike McCarthy, hoping that nostalgic sparks will fly.