Mike McCarthy Reiterates His Desire to Have 42-Year-Old Aaron Rodgers Back With Steelers

Mike McCarthy and Aaron Rodgers have a long history which could be rekindled with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Mike McCarthy Reiterates His Desire to Have 42-Year-Old Aaron Rodgers Back With Steelers

Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy (Image via Dov Kleiman/Pittsburgh Steelers/X)

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As soon as Mike Tomlin stepped down from his post as head coach of the Pittsburgh Steelers, many fans believed that the presence of Aaron Rodgers would lure a certain Mike McCarthy.

After all, it was not a secret that the two admire each other and have been in touch regularly, even if the former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach was without a job this past year.

Whenever the quarterback would speak highly of his former mentor, it continued to dispel notions that they had continued the bad blood that was evident during McCarthy’s final days in Wisconsin.

However, the 42-year-old signal caller has yet to confirm whether he will return to the Steelers. Keeping that in mind, reporters at Mike McCarthy’s first press conference with his hometown team asked him if he wanted Aaron Rodgers back at QB.

Definitely. I mean, I don’t see why you wouldn’t… I watched most of the Pittsburgh games on TV, and I thought he was a great asset for the team.

Mike McCarthy replied

The 62-year-old mentioned that he had a brief phone call with the four-time league MVP, but stopped short of revealing anything about their conversation. He maintained that what he saw from Rodgers was good enough for him to want his former understudy back with the team.

McCarthy then reiterated that players of that age need to ‘decompress’ after such a long and grueling season. This means that it will be a while before Aaron Rodgers reveals his intentions for next season.

Mike McCarthy was emotional about getting chance to coach Steelers

Mike McCarthy‘s journey into the NFL started when the Kansas City Chiefs plucked him out of the University of Pittsburgh Panthers football program back in 1992.

Mike McCarthy with his parents at the press conference
Mike McCarthy with his parents at the press conference (Image via Brooke Pryor/X)

That means he spent the last three-plus decades coaching away from his hometown of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Upon returning with the city’s biggest sports franchise, the coach said this during his introductory press conference.

This city, this franchise, this fanbase, phew, means the world to me. Because Pittsburgh is my world, and it’s awesome to be back here.

Mike McCarthy said

He was emotional when talking about what it means to come back to the place where his football journey started. It seems he wears the yellow and black on his sleeve and was overcome with joy upon getting a chance to return.

He might not have taken this job if he did not believe he could do what he could to return them to becoming one of the greatest franchises in the NFL. However, that also means that the pressure will be on him from the start.

Ben Roethlisberger ecstatic that the Steelers signed Mike McCarthy

Other than the Pittsburgh connection and the fact that Mike McCarthy has the tools and experience to move the Steelers forward, many are not convinced that it was a good signing.

Their logic was on the basis of his past record with both the Packers and the Cowboys. However, former Steelers’ QB Ben Roethlisberger disagrees.

I know he’s coached a lot of places, but you’re telling me that he doesn’t have black and gold like in there… He’s going to understand the Steeler way… We finally have an offensive-minded coach in here. I’m so excited for an offensive-minded coach.

Ben Roethlisberger said on Footbahlinwithben

The 6-time Pro Bowler believes that the combination of McCarthy knowing the Steeler way and being an offensive coach will help his team get better.

He pointed out that it was important for the franchise to hire an offensive-minded coach, as scoring six points in a playoff game, as they did against the Houston Texans, will not be enough to succeed.

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