Aaron Rodgers Discusses NFL Future, Pittsburgh Steelers, Mike McCarthy, and Enigmatic Wife In Latest “The Pat McAfee Show” Appearance
If you tuned into “The Pat McAfee Show” on Wednesday expecting Aaron Rodgers to drop a bombshell announcement about his NFL future, he had a message for you: turn it off.
“I want to say that anybody on here who’s expecting me to make some big decision, just turn it off now,” Rodgers said, deadpan as ever.
And there it was. Classic Rodgers. The man has been keeping fans, front offices, and the entire sports media landscape in suspense since roughly 2022, and he sees absolutely no reason to stop now.
Rodgers Is a Free Agent — And He’s Good With That
Let’s set the scene. It’s March 4. Free agency opens in a week. The Pittsburgh Steelers just hired Mike McCarthy, the same coach Rodgers played under for 13 seasons in Green Bay, and the quarterback who could theoretically complete that reunion is sitting on a ski slope somewhere with his wife, totally unbothered.
“I’ve been spending a lot of time with my wife. We went on a ski trip, just been laying low,” Rodgers told McAfee. “I talked to Mike, I talked to Omar [Khan]. There’s been no deadline put in front of me. No contract offer or anything. So there’s nothing that I’m having to debate between. I’m a free agent.”
That’s not nothing. That’s actually a pretty significant statement. There’s no contract on the table. No ticking clock. No “sign here by Friday, or we move on.” The Steelers are playing this cool, and so is Rodgers.
GM Omar Khan said at the NFL Combine that “the door’s open” for Rodgers to return. He also made it clear this decision won’t drag out like last year’s saga. “I’d like to have an idea,” Khan said. “But this isn’t gonna go like it did last year.” Noted, Omar.
The McCarthy Factor Is Real
Here’s where it gets genuinely interesting. Rodgers didn’t just show up to say nothing. He said quite a lot about McCarthy. None of it was lukewarm.
“Mike’s one of the great guys in the league,” Rodgers said. “Just an absolutely exceptional human being with a huge heart. He really cares about his players. He holds guys accountable and creates a lot of structure. I loved my time with Mike.
“Obviously, there are times — it’s like a big brother — sometimes you love him, sometimes you’re pissed at him. But deep down, there’s so much love for Mike and appreciation for the time we spent together.”
That’s not a man talking about a former coworker. That’s a man talking about someone who shaped his career. Rodgers and McCarthy won a Super Bowl together. They had feuds. They had moments that made national headlines for all the wrong reasons. And they apparently had a pivotal conversation at Lambeau in 2022 that helped patch things up.
The reunion angle is compelling, and Rodgers knows it. He’s not saying yes. But he’s also not saying no.
At 42, Rodgers Is Still Putting In the Work
One of the more quietly revealing moments from Wednesday’s appearance wasn’t about the Steelers at all. It was about what Rodgers is doing with his time off, and how much harder it’s gotten to stay in peak physical shape at 42.
“I’m trying to stay fit. It’s harder when you get older,” he said. “After so many seasons, I would take a few weeks off, a month off, a month and a half. Now, at 42, just to stay in shape, you’ve got to kind of always be dialed in on the diet and sleep and workouts if you want to look the right way.”
He also mentioned that he puts in the work because he wants his wife to find him attractive. That’s either the most relatable thing a professional athlete has ever said, or the funniest. Possibly both. Rodgers isn’t sitting on a beach eating nachos and watching film on Netflix. He’s training. That means something.
What the Steelers Are Doing In the Meantime
Pittsburgh isn’t just sitting around waiting for a text back. They’ve been doing their homework. At the NFL Combine, the Steelers interviewed four quarterbacks: Ty Simpson out of Alabama, Drew Allar from Penn State, Carson Beck from Miami, and LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. Simpson, notably, is a realistic option with the No. 21 pick.
Ben Roethlisberger has already weighed in, warning the Steelers not to draft a quarterback regardless of what Rodgers decides. Whether that advice gets taken seriously is another matter entirely.
What the Steelers really want is simple: Rodgers back for one more year, with McCarthy running the show, while young Quarterback Will Howard learns behind a future Hall of Famer. Then in 2027, they figure out the long-term answer. It is a solid plan. Whether Rodgers is in it is the only question.
No Decision Yet, But Don’t Count Rodgers Out
We have been here before. Rodgers takes his time. He goes to darkness retreats or ski trips or wherever the offseason takes him, and then he makes a decision when he’s good and ready. That’s just how this works.
But here’s what we know: he had a blast in Pittsburgh. He said so himself. He threw for 3,322 yards, 24 touchdowns, and helped guide the Steelers to a 10-7 record in 2025. The locker room loved him. The city embraced him. And now the coach, whom he considers a big brother, is running the sideline. This could be a storybook ending for one of the most complicated, polarizing, and undeniably talented quarterbacks of his generation.
