Although they’ve recently done nothing once getting there, the Pittsburgh Steelers have made themselves a mainstay in the NFL playoffs. The end of Mike Tomlin’s run was frustrating, but the Steelers were in the postseason in each of the last three years. Although Pittsburgh won the division this season, Mike McCarthy has a difficult task ahead of him if he wants to extend that streak in 2026.
But if he doesn’t, would that really be the worst thing for the Steelers? Even during this three-year playoff streak, many have argued the team needs some sort of retooling or rebuilding year instead.
With McCarthy in town on a five-year deal, Steelers beat writer Mark Kaboly thinks his run could be deemed a success, even if he never makes the playoffs during that stretch.
“I think they identified from the beginning, that they need a quarterback. They know that they can’t go any further with this,” Kaboly said Sunday on KDKA’s #1 Cochran Sports Showdown. “He’s a guy that inherited Aaron Rodgers, what, in his second or third year? Who knows? Sure, Aaron Rodgers probably would have been a Hall of Famer without him. But he is part of that story as well. If you’re coming out of this in five years with a franchise quarterback, and five missed playoffs, I would say that is a success.”
Finding a franchise quarterback is undoubtedly the biggest hurdle the Steelers still need to conquer. And it certainly was part of the decision to bring in McCarthy. A decision that makes some sense, given McCarthy’s track record.
Sure, he’s had some very talented quarterbacks to work with. As Kaboly mentions, McCarthy inherited Aaron Rodgers once he became the head coach, and Dak Prescott was obviously already in Dallas when McCarthy landed there. Still, he deserves his credit. Rodgers became a Hall of Fame-caliber quarterback under McCarthy, and Prescott had arguably the best years of his career with him as well.
However, now McCarthy has to find his own quarterback. He’s talked about the desire to bring Rodgers back, but that’s not an answer for the future. He also seems to be a big fan of Will Howard. Yet, that’s a ton of hype to pile on a sixth-round pick, and some of his praise may just be coach speak. Sure, Howard could work out for the future, but it’s far from a slam dunk.
Perhaps missing the playoffs for that long of a span could do the Steelers some good. It would be nice to pick in the top half of the draft for a change. And it certainly would give the Steelers better odds of finding a franchise quarterback through the draft.
However, would Steelers fans tolerate McCarthy if he missed the playoffs for that long? Many have wanted the Steelers to rebuild for a while, but that is a long drought. And it would be a stark difference from the incredible long run of non-losing seasons the franchise is on. If the Steelers find their franchise quarterback in the process, though, Kaboly thinks it would be the worth it.