The signs are clear: the Pittsburgh Steelers want Aaron Rodgers back for the 2026 NFL season. As if hiring Mike McCarthy—the coach who led Rodgers to a Super Bowl title—as new head coach weren’t telling enough, Pittsburgh has now brought in other members of the staff from the Super Bowl XLV–winning Green Bay Packers.
According to a report from CBS Sports, the Steelers are hiring Mark Lovat and Greg Thorne. The former will be the new strength and conditioning coordinator under McCarthy in the 2026 NFL season, with the latter joining him in that department.
Both Lovat and Thorne worked alongside McCarthy on the Packers, and were around for the conquest of Super Bowl XLV, Rodgers’ lone Vince Lombardi trophy. Lovat will take over after Phil Matusz, who served as the head strength and conditioning coach in Pittsburgh over the past two seasons.
As reported, the Steelers have yet to decide or announce whether any of the former strength and conditioning staff will be retained, or if a complete retooling will be implemented.
Steelers looking like the Packers
Time has passed since the Steelers lost to the Packers in Super Bowl XLV. To be precise, on Feb. 6, it will mark exactly 15 years since that heartbreaking defeat in Arlington, Texas. Much has changed since, but Pittsburgh seems to believe that same formula could yield results in 2026. If you can’t beat them, join them—or, as Pittsburgh is doing, make them join you, even a decade and a half later.
However, the Steelers are still missing their cornerstone. No team can win a Super Bowl without a solid starting quarterback, and as of now, Pittsburgh faces a glaring hole under center. Still, McCarthy dropped a key message about Rodgers and his future with the Steelers, hinting the future Hall of Famer will be back.
Uncertainty around Rodgers’ future
Rodgers has yet to confirm whether he will return next season. Regardless, the Steelers believe they can lure him back by reuniting him with several staff members from his Super Bowl–winning team in Green Bay. With Lovat and Thorne rejoining McCarthy’s staff in The Burgh, the Steelers now look more like the 2010 Packers by the second.
Moreover, Pittsburgh is building a staff of proven winners, as Lovat and Thorne join new defensive coordinator and Super Bowl champion with Bill Belichick, Patrick Graham, in 2026.
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