The Pittsburgh Steelers had quite an… interesting offseason, to say the least. And it started with Mike Tomlin resigning, and was followed by the uninspiring hiring of Mike McCarthy. The fanbase has come around on McCarthy over the last few months, but it still wasn’t the exciting hire that many had hoped for.
The good news is that Pittsburgh was active in free agency, adding some really talented players, including Jamel Dean and Michael Pittman Jr. They also added to their offense early in the draft, and on paper, the roster appears to be in better shape than it was a year ago.
And yet, a black cloud still hangs over the organization because of the quarterback situation.
ESPN crushes the Pittsburgh Steelers for the signing of Aaron Rodgers
In a recent article by Bill Barnwell of ESPN, he discussed every AFC team’s best and worst moves this offseason. For the Steelers, he named Dean as one of the best free-agent signings in the league, and it’s not hard to understand why. He is a perfect fit in Patrick Graham’s defense, and he gives Pittsburgh one of the better cornerback duos in the AFC.
But the worst move that Pittsburgh made was the handling of the quarterback situation once again.
Barnwell believes that the Steelers should have moved on from Rodgers this offseason and targeted other younger quarterbacks in free agency. But the biggest reason why Barnwell believes Pittsburgh made a mistake is that Rodgers is far more likely to decline in 2026 than improve:
“At 42, the chances are far more likely that Rodgers is worse in 2026 than of any sort of dramatic improvement. It would be one thing if the Steelers were waiting on peak Rodgers to return, but the entire organization was left on hold as a below-average starter spent months deciding whether he wanted to continue playing.
And though Rodgers is obviously familiar with new head coach Mike McCarthy, it's worth remembering that Rodgers' performance improved dramatically in Green Bay after McCarthy left and was replaced by Matt LaFleur.”
It’s understandable to hope that Rodgers will be better in Year 2 in Pittsburgh, but the odds of that happening are fairly low. Rodgers will turn 43 during the 2026 season, and Tom Brady is the only quarterback in NFL history to have success at age 43 or older. In fact, only six quarterbacks in NFL history have ever thrown a pass at the age of 43 or older, and one of those names includes Philip Rivers, who came out of retirement for a few games in 2025.
Rodgers has seen his passing success rate drop in five consecutive seasons dating back to his 2020 season with Green Bay. His yards per attempt have dropped significantly during that time, and there just isn’t a lot of playmaking left in his body. There is no doubt that his arm is still among the best in the NFL, but the athleticism is gone, and he no longer wants to take any additional hits.
The nostalgia of Rodgers reuniting with McCarthy is fun, and it’s cool to see him play his final year in Pittsburgh. But for a franchise that desperately needs to turn the page and start thinking about the next era of football, this just feels like a lame-duck year for everyone involved.
The fact that no other team in the NFL even expressed any interest in bringing in Rodgers this offseason is a good reminder of what the league thinks about him going into the 2026 season. And worse yet, Pittsburgh actually gave him a pay raise despite a very up-and-down 2025 campaign. Maybe he proves all of us wrong, but fairy tale endings don’t really happen in the NFL.
The handling of the quarterback situation yet again in Pittsburgh caps the ceiling for this roster, and that’s unfortunate given how much talent is on the team.
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