Former Steelers Head Coach Believes Aaron Rodgers Will Return to Pittsburgh
It was confirmed Sunday night that former Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin would be taking his talents to NBC, joining the network's Football Night in America as an analyst. Tomlin stepped down from Pittsburgh after 19 seasons leading one of the NFL's most prolific franchises. He brought the Steelers their sixth Super Bowl ring, making them the first team in NFL history to do so, and finished with a 193-114-2 record as head coach. Despite initial reports that the 54-year-old would be staying away from football for the foreseeable future, he made a quick turnaround, joining NBC and offering insight into trending NFL storylines, such as the Steelers' ongoing wait for Aaron Rodgers. Tomlin obviously has personal opinions about Rodgers' future, having coached him in Pittsburgh in 2025.
The Virginia native spoke with NBC's Maria Taylor about who he envisions as the Steelers quarterback in 2026, and he couldn't see any chance of the former Green Bay Packer retiring. The Super Bowl-winning coach said, "If you had a gun to my head, I'd say it's Aaron Rodgers. Being around him for the 12 months that I was around him, he's had a love affair with the game of football. Not only the game, but the process." Tomlin was obviously a very big part in the Super Bowl-winning quarterback's decision to come to Pittsburgh last season after a two-year stint with the Jets. The four-time MVP quarterback performed well for the Steel City, throwing for 3,322 passing yards, 24 touchdowns to seven interceptions, and completing 65.7% of his passes. He led the Steelers to a 10-7 record before they lost to the Houston Texans in a Monday Night Wildcard matchup. Despite league belief that Rodgers will return, the Steelers were forced into drafting a quarterback for the second straight year, as they selected Penn State's Drew Allar with the 76th overall pick. Whether the Super Bowl MVP does return or not, the Steelers have the weapons necessary to succeed, with returning threats such as D.K. Metcalf, Pat Freiermuth, and Jaylen Warren, as well as new additions Michael Pittman Jr., Rico Dowdle, and Germie Bernard.
After months of waiting, Tomlin also recently revealed his reason for leaving the Steelers, which partially contradicts his beliefs on Rodgers' future. When asked about his departure, the former longest-tenured head coach said, "It's probably not an overnight decision. There's a loneliness with leadership. I just thought it was a good time for me personally." He also mentions the careers of longtime Steelers such as T.J. Watt, Cam Heyward, and Chris Boswell, stating, "We didn't have a lot of success in the playoffs in recent years. There's just some veteran players there that I thought were just worthy of excitement and optimism associated with new leadership." This new leadership aids Rodgers' decision to return, as the Steelers brought in the 42-year-old's former coach in Green Bay, Mike McCarthy, to man their ship for at least the next five years. At this stage in the offseason, it seems unlikely that the six-foot-two veteran quarterback will go to another team, even if any team shows interest. It truly will come down to retirement, or if he trusts what the Steelers have built for him to return for one more year. Despite being 42, the California native is still just five years removed from his 2021 MVP season, which he won at 38. At this point, Rodgers' decision likely will not come until June, as it did last year, and the Steelers will have to start thinking about whether they can wait that long, or if it's time to turn the team over to someone else.
