The Pittsburgh Steelers have seen a lot of change this NFL offseason. There is uncertainty in Pittsburgh about who will be the starting quarterback for the team in 2026. While speaking at the NFL Combine on Tuesday, team general manager Omar Khan addressed the latest with his team's last starting play caller, Aaron Rodgers.
“Steelers GM Omar Khan says he’s been in communication with Aaron Rodgers, but there’s nothing new to add,” ESPN's Brooke Pryor posted to X, formerly Twitter.
Rodgers is considering a return to Pittsburgh. In 2025, Rodgers waited until the summer to formally declare he would sign a deal with Pittsburgh. It happened as OTAs were about to begin.
“I don’t see this going like it did last year,” Khan said to Pryor about a possible Rodgers return for 2026.
The Steelers are preparing for their first season since 2006 without Mike Tomlin as head coach of the team. Mike McCarthy is now leading Pittsburgh.
Steelers face a lot of questions in 2026
Steelers fans had become exhausted of Tomlin, who hadn't won a playoff game in almost a decade. The team has big expectations for McCarthy, who is from Pittsburgh. He won a Super Bowl coaching the Green Bay Packers with Rodgers as his quarterback.
Pittsburgh's general manager says his team will work to address all its needs, to help McCarthy and company.
“I don’t think we were good enough overall,” Khan said at the combine, per Yahoo Sports. “We didn’t win a single playoff game; that’s not good enough. So we have to be better at every position.”
The team will have to figure out who will be its starting quarterback. If Rodgers doesn't return, the team has some options. One is to work with young quarterback Will Howard, who was drafted by the team in 2025. Howard won a national championship in college at Ohio State in 2024.
Rodgers played one season in Pittsburgh in 2025, after spending two years before that with the New York Jets. Rodgers admitted that Tomlin was a big reason why he chose to play in Pittsburgh. Time will tell if he comes back to the Steel City for another season.
In 2025, Rodgers threw for 3,322 passing yards and 24 touchdowns.
