Pittsburgh Steelers: Mike McCarthy Expects Aaron Rodgers to Play Next Season
The Steelers haven't named a starting quarterback for 2026, but Head Coach Mike McCarthy expects Aaron Rodgers to return in that role.
"I'm confident," McCarthy said at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix, via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. "But at the end of the day, it's a personal decision. I think we're in a good space."
Since he was hired to replace Mike Tomlin, McCarthy said he has been in contact with Rodgers on a weekly basis. McCarthy coached Rodgers with the Green Bay Packers from 2006 to 2018 and they won a Super Bowl together.
While McCarthy said he was intrigued with second-year quarterback Will Howard's potential, the 42-year-old Rodgers helped the Steelers win the AFC North last season. Rodgers also won two MVP awards while playing for McCarthy in Green Bay, giving them a track record and comfort level together.
McCarthy didn't give a timeline for when Rodgers, a free agent, would make a definitive decision about his future. But McCarthy sounded willing to wait.
"We'll just continue to engage in conversations," McCarthy said via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. "We've been talking weekly, every couple of days, so we'll just continue to do that."
Cleveland Browns: Todd Monken Won't Evenly Divide Offseason Quarterback Reps
New Browns Head Coach Todd Monken is overseeing a quarterback competition featuring Shedeur Sanders, Deshaun Watson, and Dillon Gabriel.
Monken doesn't want to take months to establish a frontrunner. He may not divide reps evenly this spring and summer as he decides on a starter.
"I wouldn't say they're going to be evenly dispersed, but we'll definitely disperse them to give ourselves a chance to at least evaluate who we have on the roster," Monken said via Daniel Oyesfusi of ESPN.com.
"You'd love to be able to come out of the spring with a depth chart. That doesn't mean there's still not competition. But I do think you have to narrow the reps or at least balance up the reps of who you anticipate has come out of the spring, certainly in a position to be a starter."
Browns owner Jimmy Haslam said Monday that Watson has a fresh start and has a "great chance" to become the starter again. The 30-year-old suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in October of 2024 and missed the entire 2025 season after he re-tore his Achilles and underwent a second surgery.
However, Haslam won't rule Watson out of the picture.
"He's in great shape, he'll be [in Cleveland] on April 7 when we start [the offseason workout program]," Haslam said. "Let's see what Deshaun can do. We're all excited."
Cincinnati Bengals: Shemar Stewart Has Chance to Step Up Without Trey Hendrickson
The Ravens signed former Bengals edge rusher Trey Hendrickson during free agency, creating more opportunities for Shemar Stewart to step forward. The 22-year-old defensive end was the 17th overall pick but didn't sign until July last year after a lengthy holdout. Stewart had just one sack as a rookie.
Head Coach Zac Taylor still believes in Stewart's potential.
"We're not trying to do anything to stunt the growth there," Taylor said via Geoff Hobson of the team’s website. "We're trying to do everything we can for him to continue to grow and play a major role for us."
