Aaron Rodgers praises Mike McCarthy but doesn't say if he'll play this year

Aaron Rodgers has not said whether he will play this season, for the Steelers or anyone else. But Rodgers enthusiastically endorses the Steelers' new coach.

Rodgers told Pat McAfee today that new Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy is one of his favorite people in the NFL.

"Mike's one of the great guys in the league," Rodgers said. "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."

McCarthy coached the Packers for 13 seasons, and Rodgers was his quarterback for all of them. The two of them had a lot of success together, including winning Super Bowl XLV, and Rodgers thinks McCarthy will have a lot of success in Pittsburgh.

"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.

Will Rodgers, who officially becomes a free agent next week, remain in Pittsburgh for one more season with McCarthy as his coach? Rodgers said his appearance today was not to make an announcement about that.

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

Instead, Rodgers will take his time, and McCarthy will wait to see if his former quarterback becomes his current quarterback.