After saying last summer that he was “pretty sure” that the 2025 season would be his last, Aaron Rodgers has made it clear that the 2026 season will indeed be the final chapter of his Hall of Fame-worthy career.
Rodgers’ retirement will officially signal the end of a prolific passing era that included himself, Tom Brady, Peyton and Eli Manning, Drew Brees, Ben Roethlisberger, Philip Rivers, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan and Cam Newton. These quarterbacks — who successfully took the mantle from Dan Marino, Steve Young, Brett Favre, John Elway and Troy Aikman — helped take the NFL to a new level in terms of offensive production, which in terms helped increase the league’s popularity level.
Before that era comes to a close, Rodgers will have one last ride with the Steelers, whom he helped lead to a division title during his first season in the black and gold. And while last season was generally considered a success, there are several reasons why Rodgers and the Steelers could be even better in 2026, starting with Rodgers himself.
Aaron Rodgers
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Rodgers gets early start on final season
Last year, Rodgers didn’t sign with the Steelers until minicamp, which meant that he didn’t take any actual snaps with his teammates until the first day of training camp. Rodgers’ lack of time with his teammates showed during that first week of camp.
While it again took several months, Rodgers did make up his mind on the upcoming season a month earlier than he had the previous offseason, which allowed him to take part in OTAs and minicamp. During that time, Rodgers got reacquainted with new head coach Mike McCarthy’s offense and was able to get some work in with his teammates, especially the team’s new additions that include running back Rico Dowdle, veteran wideout Michael Pittman and rookie wideout Germie Bernard.
Circling back to last summer, the Steelers’ offense made impressive strides after an inauspicious start. But it never got consistently on track, a fact that came to a head during January’s wild card playoff loss to the Houston Texans. This year, instead of essentially starting from scratch on the first day of training camp, the Steelers’ offense laid down the foundation in OTAs. That shouldn’t be overlooked.
Start of the McCarthy era
For better or worse, the Steelers’ mantra in recent years has been their consistency. While change is often a constant in sports, Pittsburgh had the same head coach for 19 years (Mike Tomlin) who presided over the longest non-losing seasons streak in NFL history. While that continuity and sustained success allowed the Steelers to perennially be in the mix, it came at a cost.
The Steelers haven’t legitimately challenged for a Super Bowl this decade, but they have never been bad enough to be in position to acquire a high draft pick. Pittsburgh was basically in football purgatory, which is what prompted Tomlin to step away a day after the 2025 season ended.
Tomlin — who won a Super Bowl during his second season in Pittsburgh — knows firsthand the impact a coaching change can have on a team. In McCarthy, the Steelers shifted gears in terms of the coach they normally hire. Unlike Tomlin, Bill Cowher and Chuck Noll, McCarthy is an offensive coach who has previous NFL head coaching experience that includes a Super Bowl win with the Packers and three consecutive 12-win seasons in Dallas.
McCarthy’s track record and his reputation as a quarterback whisperer were the two main reasons why he got the job. He has been summoned with finding and developing the Steelers’ next franchise quarterback and to keep the Steelers in contention for championships.
McCarthy won in Green Bay and in Dallas, so there’s no reason to think that he won’t have success in Pittsburgh. But if the Steelers are going to win in 2026, they’ll be the first McCarthy-led team to have success during his first year on the job. Green Bay went 8-8 during McCarthy’s first season before posting a 13-3 record in his second season. Dallas went 6-10 during McCarthy’s first season before recording three consecutive 12-5 campaigns.
One could attribute those tough first seasons to the challenges associated with assembling a coaching staff, getting settled in a new city and implementing a new program. There’s no doubt that McCarthy and the Steelers will have some growing pains during their first season together, which could impact their ceiling. This is where Rodgers’ presence could end up making a big difference.
Rodgers’ experience in McCarthy’s offense is invaluable. Instead of having to learn a new offense with new teammates (which was the case last year), Rodgers can help his teammates get acclimated to an offense that he won a Super Bowl and two of his four MVPs with.
Improved roster
On both sides of the ball, the Steelers have a stronger team than they did a year ago. Pittsburgh’s biggest area of improvement was at receiver with the additions of Pittman and Bernard. The duo should give DK Metcalf more room to operate while giving Rodgers three talented wideouts to throw to.
The Steelers didn’t retain Kenneth Gainwell (a favorite of Rodgers who was the team’s MVP in 2025), but they were able to replace him with Dowdle, who is looking to become the first player in NFL history to have three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons while playing for three different teams. Pittsburgh still has Jaylen Warren, who set career highs last season with 958 rushing yards and 1,291 all-purpose yards.
Pittsburgh’s young offensive line got stronger this offseason with the free agent signing of Brock Hoffman (who played for McCarthy in Dallas) and the selections of rookies Max Iheanachor and Gennings Dunker. With Broderick Jones’ status up in the air, Troy Fautanu will get the chance to play left tackle (his position in college) with Dylan Cook replacing him on the left side. The interior of the line will continue to be anchored by center Zach Frazier, another Rodgers favorite.
Once again, the Steelers’ defensive identity is their pass rush, led by T.J. Watt, Alex Highsmith, Nick Herbig (who signed a lucrative extension this offseason) and Jack Sawyer. Cam Heyward still anchors the offensive line, while the Steelers’ secondary is led by perennial Pro Bowler Jalen Ramsey (who will return to cornerback this season after spending time last season at safety) and emerging cornerback Joey Porter Jr. The secondary remains a question mark, though, with two new starters (Jaquan Brisker and Jamel Dean) and DeShon Elliott returning from injury. Pittsburgh’s inside linebackers are also under the microscope, especially Patrick Queen, who is going into the final year of his contract.
Pittsburgh’s roster also includes Chris Boswell, who has been one of the NFL’s best kickers for years. The Steelers further bolstered their special teams when they drafted Kaden Wetjen, whose six combined returns for touchdowns set an Iowa record.
Winnable schedule
The Steelers have the NFL’s 19th toughest strength of schedule in terms of last year’s results. Pittsburgh’s 2026 opponents had a combined .495 winning percentage.
Numbers can be deceiving, though, and that appears to be the case with Pittsburgh’s schedule. The Steelers will start the season by hosting a Falcons team that finished last season on a four-game winning streak before heading to New England to face the defending AFC champions. They’ll then host Joe Burrow and the Bengals before facing the Browns in Cleveland on a short week. The Steelers haven’t won in Cleveland since 2021 and have lost Thursday night games in either Cleveland or Cincinnati in three of the last four years.
After their Week 9 bye, the Steelers will face a tough stretch: a primetime game in Cincinnati, a road game in Philadelphia (where they haven’t won since 1965), at home against the Broncos on Black Friday, at Houston on Sunday night, at Jacksonville on Monday night and at home against the rival Ravens.
Looking at their schedule, it’ll be important for the Steelers to win as many games as they can before their Week 9 bye. If they are 5-3 going into the bye, they could conceivably split their next six games (the toughest part of their schedule) before having winnable games against the Panthers and Titans before a Week 18 showdown in Baltimore.
Barring a fast start, it’s hard to picture the Steelers winning more than 10 games, but a fourth straight 10-win season is possible. If they can get to 10 wins again, the Steelers would likely earn one of the AFC’s wild card playoff spots.
Before Pittsburgh fans start to panic, this scenario wouldn’t be the end of the world. The Steelers’ pass rush, the potentially dangerous duo of Warren and Dowdle and the presence of Rodgers and his improved receiving corps is capable of winning the franchise’s first playoff game in over a decade, regardless of the opponent or the location.
Stats ‘n stuff
Expect an offense-by-committee approach for the Steelers. That approach should be a good thing for Pittsburgh, but it probably won’t be for anyone who drafts one of the Steelers’ offensive players in their fantasy league.
If there is a Steelers player who might end up putting up numbers, it’s tight end Pat Freiermuth, who should thrive in McCarthy’s offense. Freiermuth had a diminished role in Arthur Smith’s offense, but he still managed to catch 11 touchdowns over the past two seasons. Metcalf, with more room to operate this year, could have a big year, too.
As far as Rodgers is concerned, his numbers during his last season with the Jets and his first season in Pittsburgh were strikingly similar. During those seasons, he averaged 3,610 yards, 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions with a combined 64.2% completion percentage. Rodgers last “elite” season was back in 2021, when he won his fourth league MVP after throwing for 4,115 yards with 37 touchdowns and just four interceptions while completing 68.9% of his throws.
Rodgers’ numbers last season were impressive when you consider the situation. He was playing on a new team and learning a new offense. He had an underwhelming receiving corps and played the final six games of the season with a fractured left wrist. Despite those obstacles, Rodgers threw more than three times as many touchdowns (24), than interceptions (seven) while having his highest completion percentage since 2021.
Barring injury, Rodgers is in line to have a better season. He’s had a year under his belt in Pittsburgh, is playing in a familiar offense and has a better supporting cast around him. He also still has his legendary throwing touch.
2026 prediction
For the 2026 Steelers to have success, Rodgers obviously has to play well. But there are other things that need to happen outside of him.
One of the biggest things the Steelers need to do is establish an identify on both sides of the ball while playing complementary football. On offense, the Steelers need to rely less on Rodgers and more on the running game, which was one of their biggest issues in 2025.
As noted above, a 10-7 record is a realistic expectation for the 2026 Steelers. And while a Super Bowl win is always the goal in Pittsburgh, any type of postseason success for a team that hasn’t had any in a decade would also be considered a successful year.
The 2026 Steelers have the talent to snap their drought without a playoff win, which would be a fitting bow on Rodgers’ Hall of Fame career.
