It's the first week of March, and Aaron Rodgers is in no hurry.
The 42-year-old Rodgerstold "The Pat McAfee Show"on Wednesday that the Pittsburgh Steelers haven't given him a deadline to decide if he wants to play next season, what would be his 22nd in the NFL.
"I want to say that anybody on here who's expecting me to make some big decision, just turn it off now. Just leave," Rodgers said bluntly.
Host Pat McAfee then said that he understands the weight of the call Rodgers has to make on his NFL future, but McAfee also noted that he imagines the four-time league MVP has done some daydreaming about what another chapter with current Steelers and former Green Bay Packers head coach Mike McCarthy could look like.
While Rodgers praised McCarthy, and the Steelers for hiring him, the veteran quarterback didn't tip his hand about his plans for a potential reunion during the 2026 season.
"We're sitting here, it's March 4th. Free agency starts in a week," Rodgers explained.
"I've been spending a lot of time with my wife. We went on a ski trip, just been laying low. ... But I've talked to Mike, I've talked to [general manager] Omar [Khan]. There's been no deadline that's been put in front of me. There's no contract offer or anything, so there's nothing that I'm having to debate between.
"I'm a free agent. And, again, I'm enjoying my time with my wife and enjoying this part of the offseason, and I think there's conversations to be had down the line, but right now there hasn't been any progressive conversations."
Aftercontemplating retirement last offseason, Rodgers signed aone-year dealahead of Steelers minicamp.
He went on to lead Pittsburgh to an AFC North title — the franchise's first since 2020 — but the Steelers once again went one-and-done in the playoffs. They're still searching for their first postseason win since the 2016 season.
Mike Tomlin stepped down from his post as head coach, and the Steelers filled his vacancy with McCarthy, who overlapped with Rodgers from 2006-18 before coaching the Dallas Cowboys for five seasons. The pair won a Super Bowl together during the 2010 season, ironically against the Steelers.
Advertisement
During McCarthy's introductory news conference in January,he told reporters that he "definitely" wants Rodgers back.
Then, in early February,NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported that the "odds are increasing" Rodgers comes back to play for the Steelers in 2026.
[Join or create a Yahoo Fantasy Baseball league for the 2026 MLB season]
Later that month, at the NFL scouting combine,Khan said at the podium that Rodgers would be welcomed back next season. He also indicated that Rodgers' decision wouldn't drag on like it did a year ago.
But with free agency looming, and a thin quarterback draft class on the horizon, it's fair to wonder just how long the Steelers will be willing to wait this time around.
Rodgers had plenty of good things to say about McCarthy
Rodgers emphasized that, at the moment, he's spending a lot of time with his wife, whose identity is still undisclosed. The two got married last offseason.
He spoke about her Wednesday, but he also effused about McCarthy.
"Yeah, Mike's one of the great guys in the league," Rodgers said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "Just an absolutely exceptional human being with a huge heart. We had a lot of great years together, a lot of fun. He really cares about the players, but he also holds guys accountable and creates a lot of structure and details in the process."
The Steelers bringing in McCarthy bucked their trend of hiring 30-something-year-old defensive coaches to lead the franchise. Plus, on a league-wide scale, the decision went against the grain, in terms of an NFL pattern established in recent coaching cycles.
Rodgers believes the league is cyclical and thinks football lifers like McCarthy remain valuable.
"I don't give a s*** about how old he is, how long he's been in the league or the trend of the new young play-caller who's been on the staff of one of the Shanahan disciples," Rodgers said. "It seems like that's kind of the hot thing. I get that. There's a lot of great scheme in there, but there's something to an old-school organization ... bringing in a guy not only who brings accountability in a program that's proven to work at multiple places now, but he's a f***ing yinzer."
Rodgers added: "Mike bleeds Pittsburgh, Pa."