Mike McCarthy appears open to a reunion with Aaron Rodgers in Pittsburgh.
The new Steelers head coach provided a short but clear answer when asked about a potential return for Rodgers, with whom he spent 11 seasons in Green Bay.
“Definitely, I don’t see why you wouldn’t,” McCarthy replied to a question on whether he’d want Rodgers back with the Steelers next season.
“I think, just like anything, knowing Aaron long enough, going through seasons, when guys are up at that stage of their careers, they need to step away and decompress. I think that’s very important,” he said.
“The game is so emotional with what these men commit to and what they put into it. I think that time away is important. I have spoken to Aaron, so that’s really where we are. I was able to sit back and watch most of the Pittsburgh games on TV, and I thought he was a great asset for the team.”
Rodgers completed 65.7 percent of this passes for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns and just seven interceptions. He led the Steelers to a 10-7 record and the AFC North title.
It’s unclear if Rodgers, 42, will return for a 22nd season in the NFL after declining to say what his future held following the Steelers’ elimination from the postseason in the wild-card round by the Texans.
“I’m not going to make any emotional decisions,” Rodgers said. “At this point, obviously such a fun year. A lot of adversity, but a lot of fun. Been a great year overall in my life in the last year, and this is a really good part of that, coming here and being part of this team. So, it’s disappointing to be sitting here with the season over.”
This week, Steelers owner Art Rooney II appeared to leave the door open for welcoming Rodgers back when speaking with the team’s in-house media, adding that they expect a decision from the future Hall of Famer “in the next month or so.”
Earlier this month, Rooney appeared to suggest that Rodgers wouldn’t likely be back in Pittsburgh after longtime coach Mike Tomlin’s abrupt departure.
After McCarthy was hired, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the decision to bring in the former Packers head coach was not to “lure back” Rodgers, his hiring will not hurt the Steelers’ chances of bringing the signal-caller back, which Rooney confirmed this week.
“We don’t know what Aaron’s plans are right now, and that did not weigh heavily in the [McCarthy] decision,” Rooney said.
