The Pittsburgh Steelers waited a while last offseason to sign Aaron Rodgers. He wasn’t perfect, but Rodgers helped the Steelers make the playoffs and provided their best quarterback play since Ben Roethlisberger. Now, Rodgers is a free agent, and he could decide to retire. However, the Steelers hiring Mike McCarthy as their next head coach seemed to crack the door open for a potential Rodgers return to Pittsburgh. Terry Bradshaw heard that Rodgers has already told the organization he’s willing to come back.
“I have heard, right [before] the McCarthy thing was announced, I had already heard that Aaron Rodgers had told Mike, ‘If you want me to come back for a year, I’ll come back and join you,’” Bradshaw said Tuesday on radio station 103.7 The Buzz.
Unfortunately, it’s unclear which Mike – Tomlin or McCarthy – that Bradshaw is referencing. However, no matter which coach he said that to, it shows that Rodgers was already willing to put off retiring for another season.
Additionally, it’s uncertain who Bradshaw heard that from, so it’s tough to take it with more than a grain of salt. However, it wouldn’t be surprising if that’s true, or that it was McCarthy who Rodgers spoke to. McCarthy has stated that he’s talked to Rodgers multiple times recently. It stands to reason that the possibility of Rodgers playing again came up.
While the split between Rodgers and McCarthy with the Green Bay Packers wasn’t pretty, it sounds like the two have a good relationship now. McCarthy said that he’d love to have Rodgers back, and the four-time MVP has mentioned multiple times how much more he appreciates his time in Green Bay since leaving the Packers.
Also, a recent report indicated that Rodgers is open to re-signing with the Steelers. Everything seemed to go well between both sides last year. Art Rooney II still wants the team to compete for a Super Bowl. While Rodgers might not get them to that level, he could be their best option.
Hopefully, the Steelers don’t need to wait as long for Rodgers as they did last year. It sounds like he and McCarthy have an open dialogue, so perhaps an answer will come sooner rather than later. Rodgers isn’t the same quarterback that he used to be, but he’s still got gas left in the tank.