Aaron Rodgers Sends a Telling Message Ahead of Retirement Decision

Future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers has a decision to make this offseason as he mulls whether to retire from the league at the age of 42 or return for another season with the Pittsburgh Steelers or another team, as he is set to become a free agent this offseason.

One factor in Rodgers' decision could be the Pittsburgh Steelers' most recent coaching hire. After the sudden departure of head coach Mike Tomlin, the Steelers replaced him with Mike McCarthy, who shares a long history with Rodgers going back to their time together with the Green Bay Packers.

While Rodgers has not yet announced a final decision on the matter, he did have some telling comments on McCarthy that made it quite clear he would be excited to play for him if he did decide to return.

Rodgers Praises McCarthy

On Wednesday afternoon, Rodgers joined The Pat McAfee Show, where he discussed McCarthy taking over as the team's head coach.

Rodgers and McCarthy spent 13 years together with the Green Bay Packers, where they had a lot of success together, even winning Super Bowl LXV. Now, it sounds like Rodgers is a big fan of the coach.

“Mike’s one of the great guys in the league,” Rodgers said on the show, via Pro Football Talk. “Just an absolutely exceptional human being with a huge heart. We had a lot of great years together, a lot of fun. He really cares about the players. But he also holds guys accountable and creates a lot of structure and details in the process. I loved my time with Mike. Obviously there are times where 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.”

Rodgers clearly thinks that McCarthy was the right hire for the Steelers.

“I don’t think you can do better at this time in this franchise’s history than bringing in a guy like Mike McCarthy,” Rodgers said.

Not Ready to Make a Decision

While those comments seem telling, indicating that Rodgers would be happy to play for McCarthy after their long history together, Rodgers made it pretty clear that he was not ready to announce anything about his future just yet.

“Anybody on here who is expecting me to make a big decision, just shut off, turn it off now,” Rodgers said.

Obviously, Rodgers still has not confirmed whether or not he will be playing another season, and it's entirely possible he could still opt to retire from the league. But at the very least, these recent comments indicate that he would be willing to play for McCarthy if he did decide to return, which is telling about his future plans.