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By Cole Sullivan
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Not long after the Pittsburgh Steelers’ first-round playoff exit, longtime head coach Mike Tomlin made the unexpected decision to step down, leaving the franchise searching for a new head coach for the first time in 19 seasons.
After conducting several interviews, Pittsburgh ultimately turned to a familiar NFL name, hiring former Green Bay Packers and Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy to replace Tomlin. The move could also impact the future of veteran quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who signed a one-year deal with the Steelers last offseason with the expectation that he might retire once the season concluded.
Instead, Rodgers showed he still has plenty left in the tank, prompting him to take time weighing his next move. As an unrestricted free agent, he would need to negotiate a new contract with Pittsburgh if he decides to return — a decision that could be influenced by the opportunity to reunite with McCarthy, his former head coach in Green Bay, with whom he enjoyed significant success.
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Not long after McCarthy’s hiring, old comments from Rodgers about his former coach resurfaced, shared by The Athletic’s Ian O’Connor.
“I can’t complain a whole lot about Mike because I had so much freedom at the line,” Rodgers said. “We butted heads from time to time, but I can’t complain about the freedom I had — and we lit it up for a lot of years.”
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McCarthy spent 13 seasons in Green Bay, beginning in 2006, and coached Rodgers through the bulk of his career after he took over as the starting quarterback in 2008, following three seasons behind Brett Favre.
Together, the two won a Super Bowl in 2011. McCarthy was fired by the Packers after Week 13 of the 2018 season and later resurfaced as the Dallas Cowboys’ head coach in 2020. He remained in Dallas through the 2024 season before being let go, largely due to the team’s continued postseason shortcomings.
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