In making his first public comments since the end of the 2025 season two months ago, Aaron Rodgers on Wednesday recognized there would be attention on his appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
About 20 minutes into his live video chat with McAfee on the latter’s popular YouTube channel, Rodgers headed off hopes that the Pittsburgh Steelers or their fans would get any sort of definitive word on whether Rodgers plans to play for them this coming season.
“I want to say that anybody on here who’s expecting me to make some big decision, just shut it off,” Rodgers said, smiling. “Just turn it off now. Just leave.”
The 42-year-old Rodgers, of course, played for the Steelers last season, going 10-6 as a starter and leading them to the AFC North title but another first-round playoff loss.
His contract expires next week, and the Steelers have only Mason Rudolph and Will Howard returning under contract at quarterback as free agency gets underway. General manager Omar Khan said last week at the NFL combine that he does not expect a decision from Rodgers to take as long as it did last season, when Rodgers signed with the Steelers in early June to become their fifth different Week 1 starting quarterback over the past five seasons.
Rodgers on Wednesday echoed what Khan said last week that the team did not impose a deadline on him for a decision.
“What are we sitting here? It’s March 4,” Rodgers said to McAfee, a Plum native. “Free agency starts in a week. I’ve been spending a lot of time with my wife. We went on a ski trip. Just been laying low. There’s a lot of other things going on, the situation (at his home in) in Malibu has changed.”
Rodgers won two of his four NFL MVP awards while with the Green Bay Packers under coach Mike McCarthy, the Greenfield native who was hired last month as coach of the Steelers.
Rodgers said he’s talked with McCarthy and Khan in recent weeks but that no formal contract offer has been made.
“So there’s nothing that I’m having to debate between,” Rodgers said. “I’m a free agent. I’m enjoying my time with my wife. Enjoying this part of the offseason. I think there’s conversations to be had down the line, but right now… There hasn’t been any progressive conversations.”
Rodgers praised his Steelers teammates — particularly receiver Ben Skowronek — and gushed about McCarthy, the 62-year-old who coached the Packers for the first 13 of Rodgers’ 18 seasons with them.
Rodgers lovingly referred to McCarthy as “Big Mike,” in part to differentiate him from former Steelers coach Mike Tomlin. Rodgers had been open about wanting to play for Tomlin, and after Tomlin stepped down in January, even Steelers president Art Rooney II expressed doubt Rodgers would want to play any longer for the Steelers.
Not only did hiring McCarthy change the calculus, so did McCarthy adding so many assistants with whom Rodgers has familiarity. No fewer than seven Steelers staffers worked with Rodgers in the past.
“I’d be lying if I didn’t say that was something that I enjoyed seeing all those guys getting back together,” Rodgers said.
Rodgers seemed intent on clearing up any misconceptions about his relationship with McCarthy, despite a seeming rocky ending by the time Green Bay fired McCarthy in 2018. Rodgers said the two hung out for an hour the day of a 2022 game in which they faced each other when McCarthy was coaching the Dallas Cowboys.
“I loved my time with Mike over the years,” Rodgers said. “Obviously … sometimes it’s like a big brother where sometimes you love them, sometimes you’re (ticked) at them. But deep down, there’s so much love for Mike and appreciation for the time we spent together.”
Rodgers blamed the media for the perception he and McCarthy did not remain close, and he hammered the media — and society at large — for what he called a public “obsession” with his private life. Rodgers said he and his wife moved out of his beachfront home in Malibu, Calif., because of paparazzi and “stalkers” (including drones) encircling his house and his trips to a coffee shop or gym.
After living about half a year in Pittsburgh, Rodgers’ impressions were much more positive. He praised the Steelers’ fan base and the practice of going away to training camp at Saint Vincent. Mostly, though, Rodgers emphasized he enjoyed his teammates on last year’s Steelers team.
“It was just a fun group of guys,” Rodgers said, “and I really enjoyed my time.”
Just not quite enough, apparently, to commit to playing with them again in 2026.
Rodgers declared himself in shape, with McAfee noting the tone in his upper body — albeit, Rodgers joked the motivation for working out was more to ensure his wife finds him attractive than in an effort to get ready for a 22nd NFL season.
Just another tease to Steelers fans eager to find out if he will be their starting quarterback in 2026.
“I’m spending time with my better half,” Rodgers said. “I’m interested in what the conversation (with the Steelers about a new contract) will be, but there hasn’t been any progression when it comes to that.”
