Like it or not, the 2026 Pittsburgh Steelers season is going to hinge on how well the reunion between quarterback Aaron Rodgers and head coach Mike McCarthy goes. Once the Steelers hired McCarthy following the resignation of Mike Tomlin, the plan to bring the proverbial band back together seemed all but assured. Fast forward to mid-May, and Rodgers finally ended any doubt about that.
Now that there are no questions about whether the two Packers legends would be working together again, fans and analysts are now wondering if the pairing has what it takes to end the Steelers' lengthy playoff-win drought. Consider ESPN's Bill Barnwell as a sceptic.
In the latest episode of his podcast, The Bill Barnwell Show, Barnwell questioned the entire idea of a reunion between Rodgers and McCarthy.
"He is now entering his age-43 season. So, the chances that he's going to get dramatically better seem particularly unlikely," Barnwell said. "But the part that really makes my brain hurt or makes me think I'm crazy is this idea that, oh well, now he's got Mike McCarthy back in the fold, right? Were we not sitting here like seven years ago saying Aaron Rodgers is like Mike McCarthy is holding Aaron Rodgers back in an old offense?"
Bill Barnwell questions why the Pittsburgh Steelers believe the Aaron Rodgers-Mike McCarthy reunion will work
Whether you agree with Barnwell or not, his point is hard to argue against. Despite Rodgers making it clear that he and McCarthy patched things up, their time together in Green Bay did end poorly. The Packers' offense had stagnated near the end of McCarthy's tenure, and it's not a coincidence that Rodgers' career had a late renaissance once Matt LaFleur was brought in as his successor.
Still, their overall body of work together is hard to ignore. In 11 seasons with Rodgers as his starting QB, McCarthy's offenses finished top 10 in points scored eight times. While only one Super Bowl feels disappointing, considering how elite some of those Packers teams were, winning a championship is never a given in this league.
It's not like McCarthy's offense is suddenly too outdated to be effective in the modern NFL, either. In the three seasons where Dak Prescott started at least 12 games for McCarthy in Dallas, the Cowboys finished first in points twice and finished fourth once.
Obviously, those Cowboys teams were far more talented offensively than the 2026 Steelers are likely to be, and current Aaron Rodgers is far from the player Prescott was in those years, but the scheme won't be the issue. It really all comes down to what the four-time MVP has left in the tank and whether McCarthy can work with whatever that ends up being.
Add us as a preferred source on Google