Mike Tomlin made his first real public comments since stepping away from the Steelers, and he did not sound like someone who thinks Aaron Rodgers is done with football or done with Pittsburgh.
Appearing in his new role with NBC, Tomlin said he believes Rodgers will play in 2026 and indicated he expects that to happen with the Steelers, even after weeks of uncertainty and a draft weekend that added more young quarterbacks to Pittsburgh’s room.
Tomlin said, “I just think being around him for the 12 months that I’m around him, he’s got a love affair with the game of football. And not only the game, but the process. The informal moments, the development of younger guys, the interaction with teammates.”
That comment landed with extra weight because Rodgers still has not publicly committed to the season, and Pittsburgh has not stood still while waiting. The Steelers drafted Penn State quarterback Drew Allar in the third round and already had Mason Rudolph and Will Howard in the room, which means the quarterback picture is now more crowded than it was when Rodgers first started being linked to a return.
Tomlin’s prediction was straightforward. When asked who he thinks will be the Steelers’ quarterback in 2026, he pointed to Rodgers. The logic was less about contract clues and more about what he saw up close while coaching him.
Tomlin framed Rodgers as someone still attached to the daily parts of football, not just the game-day spotlight. That matters because it suggests Tomlin does not believe Rodgers is dragging this out because he is halfway out the door. He believes the pull of the game is still there.
Tomlin also addressed his own departure from Pittsburgh, which had ended one of the longest and most stable coaching runs in the league. In his NBC appearance, he said the decision to step away was driven in part by the Steelers’ recent lack of playoff success and by a sense that the time had come for change, both for himself and for the organization.
That context makes the Rodgers comment more interesting, not less. Tomlin is no longer coaching the Steelers. He does not need to manage the room or protect anyone’s feelings in the same way he would have while still on the sideline. And yet his read on Rodgers was not distant or skeptical. It was confident enough to sound like he still believes Pittsburgh remains the likely landing spot.
The Steelers, of course, have had to move forward whether Rodgers likes the pace or not. Drew Allar’s arrival is now part of the story whether Rodgers returns or not, and Will Howard is still there as another young quarterback worth developing. That means Pittsburgh has at least started building for multiple outcomes instead of leaving the whole room frozen while a veteran decides on his own timeline.
Still, Tomlin’s view cuts against the growing noise that Rodgers might simply walk away or string the process out until Pittsburgh moves on emotionally. Tomlin’s point was basically that Rodgers is too connected to the game, the process, and the people in the building to just disappear quietly. That is not a contract update. But it is the opinion of the man who spent the last year coaching him, and that makes it harder to shrug off as idle studio talk.
So now the Steelers are left in the same strange place, only with a few more moving parts. Rodgers still has not said yes. Pittsburgh has added Drew Allar and still has younger quarterbacks to bring along. Tomlin is out of the building and into television. But Tomlin’s first major prediction from that new seat was clear enough: he thinks Rodgers still winds up back in black and gold.