With offseason workouts in full swing ahead of the 2026 NFL season, a lot of the focus turns to Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. The quarterback finally committed to another year in the league, signing a deal worth up to $25 million this month. However, many believe there are red flags that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Steelers Warned Against Aaron Rodgers’ Blame Deflection
After acquiring a new head coach and setting up a new system this offseason, the Steelers have now locked in Rodgers for another season. The 42-year-old isn’t expected to have more than two years left in the NFL, and it’ll be interesting to see how his reunion with head coach Mike McCarthy goes.
Certain parts of the football community, though, see red flags as Rodgers and McCarthy look to turn back the clock. NFL insider Dan Graziano was asked about the Super Bowl-winning duo’s relationship.
“Well, they were losing [back when they parted ways], and I think the relationship is in a better place now because it’s been more than seven years since they lost a game together,” he said on “Get Up.” “And I think, given time — and Rodgers has talked about this — the time that’s gone on in between has helped him sort of appreciate what he and Mike McCarthy accomplished together.”
Rodgers and McCarthy went on a magical run together in 2010. After winning two crucial games to close out the regular season, the Packers powered through the postseason as a Wild Card underdog, ultimately toppling the very team they’re on right now, the Steelers.
However, with Rodgers being far from his prime, there’s no telling how they’ll handle failure this time around.
“So I do think there’s been a softening of a relationship that was absolutely frayed, if not broken, by the end of Mike McCarthy’s time in Green Bay,” Graziano added. “It all sounds great, but again, if things were to start to go bad, if the Steelers were to lose games, have a rough season, I mean the fact of the matter is, we’ve seen with Aaron Rodgers how it goes, and he makes sure he’s not the one getting blamed.”
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The four-time MVP has earned media notoriety for blaming those around him for certain losses. Despite winning the AFC North, Rodgers and company still collapsed in the Wild Card Round. According to PFSN’s QB Impact Metric, the four-time NFL MVP posted an impact score of 71.1 last season, ranking 29th at his position.
The Steelers’ 2026 campaign now rests entirely on whether a 42-year-old quarterback and his former coach can rewrite their bitter ending.
