Mike McCarthy Reveals Aaron Rodgers Talks Are Frequent amid Steelers Return Rumors

Veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers hasn't yet decided whether he will return to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but head coach Mike McCarthy isn't sweating the uncertainty about his future.

During an appearance on The Pat McAfee Show on Monday, McCarthy revealed that he's been in contact with Rodgers "regularly" throughout the offseason.

McCarthy described his interactions with Rodgers as "very, very positive conversations on a weekly basis."

Earlier this month, Rodgers told McAfee, "There hasn't been any progressive conversations" between him and the Steelers regarding his potential return for the 2026 campaign. He added that he "had a blast" in his first year in Pittsburgh, which resulted in an AFC North title before losing in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

Still, Steelers owner Art Rooney II declared that he expects Rodgers to be back in the fold within the next month.

"I still expect that," Rooney told Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Sunday (h/t Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk). "I expect we'll get an answer before the draft."

The 2026 draft is scheduled to commence on April 23. B/R's NFL Scouting Department predicted in its mock draft that Pittsburgh will use the No. 21 pick to select USC wide receiver Makai Lemon, who would certainly thrive while catching passes from Rodgers.

It remains to be seen if the optimism in Pittsburgh will pay off, but it sounds like McCarthy, Rooney and the rest of the Steelers organization are confident that Rodgers will be back in Black & Gold in 2026.