The Green Bay Packers believe they have the right head coach and quarterback to lead them back to the Super Bowl. Matt LaFleur recently agreed to a contract extension to remain with Green Bay, and quarterback Jordan Love is in the midst of a four-year $220 million deal that cements him as the franchise cornerstone now and going forward.
Of course, the Packers have not been to the Super Bowl since the 2010 season. At that time, Mike McCarthy was the team’s head coach and Aaron Rodgers was their starting quarterback. In the now 16 years since, both McCarthy and Rodgers have departed from Green Bay, but have not made it back to the Super Bowl themselves either.
And while it may be a long shot, there is a possibility that they could reunite and give it one last go together in 2026.
Green Bay Packers legends Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers could reunite on the Pittsburgh Steelers
As fans will recall, McCarthy was fired by Green Bay before the end of the 2018 NFL season. After taking a year off in 2019, he returned to the sidelines as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys in 2020. But following the 2024 season, his contract was not renewed and he took another year off in 2025.
Rodgers, for his part, was traded by the Packers following the 2022 NFL season and spent two years with the New York Jets before playing for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2025.
Prior to landing with Pittsburgh, though, apparently Rodgers told Jets reporters that “anywhere Mike McCarthy lands” as a possible destination for him in 2025:
I remember talking to Aaron Rodgers in the locker room toward the end of his tenure with the #Jets. Mentioned “wherever Mike McCarthy ends up” as a potential landing spot.
Sure sounds like McCarthy is headed to the #Steelers. Wonder if that gets Rodgers back for another year.
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) January 20, 2026
According to reports this morning, McCarthy has zeroed in on the Steelers’ open head coaching job, declining all other inquiries and taking his name out of the running for the head coach opening with the Tennessee Titans.
When Mike Tomlin stepped down in Pittsburgh after 19 seasons, the belief was that it also would mean that Rodgers would not come back in 2026 either.
But if the Steelers do hire McCarthy, and if Rodgers wants to play for one more year, it certainly sounds like he would like the opportunity to play for his old head coach again.
The Steelers do not exactly have a quarterback of the future right now, and the players raved about how great of a teammate Rodgers was in 2025. If he wants to come back, they likely would welcome him with open arms.
And with his former coach.
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