With McCarthy comes the obvious Aaron Rodgers storyline and whether the quarterback will return to Pittsburgh to reunite with his former coach, with whom he played for 13 seasons in Green Bay and won a Super Bowl in the 2010 season.
Rodgers achieved no such heights with the Steelers in 2025, but he seems welcome to try to do something if he chooses to continue playing. McCarthy mentioned at last week’s general meeting that he is in regular contact with the four-time MVP, and team owner Art Rooney II said he expects a decision before the April 23 draft.
Warren, who was fourth on the Steelers with 40 receptions last year as one of Rodgers’ most reliable safety valves, would be glad to see Rodgers back. However, he prefers not to make any expectations one way or the other.
“You know, I don’t expect anything,” Warren said. “Whatever happens, happens. I’m messing with anybody at the quarterback position. But if he comes back, great. If he doesn’t, we’re going to miss him.”
Something else the Steelers miss — and will have to fix with or without Rodgers — is the presence of an impressive running game.
The Black and Gold, long known for making opponents black and blue on the ground, finished 26th in rushing last season. Heading into Warren’s first season without Tomlin, Pittsburgh traded Kenneth Gainwell for Rico Dowdle, a much-maligned running back, to round out the backfield.
Warren told GMFB he “can’t wait to rock” with Dowdle, another former free agent, and while he didn’t have a definitive answer as to why the ground game was so suppressed in 2025, he expressed confidence the team could turn it around in the near future.
“It could be a number of things. I wouldn’t point the finger at anybody,” Warren said. “Things just happened the way they did. Going forward, whatever the coaches have planned, I know we’re ready to execute.”