Now that the Super Bowl has come and gone and the Seattle Seahawks are the new NFL champs, the calendar shifts quickly, and the 2026 season is now the focus for all 32 teams.

Free agency and the NFL Draft are next up, but it’s not too early to project for next season.

In ESPN’s way-too-early power rankings for the 2026 season, the Pittsburgh Steelers — who have undergone significant changes already this offseason with Mike Tomlin stepping down, Mike McCarthy being hired as the new head coach and a nearly entirely new coaching staff coming into the fold — are on the outside looking in when it comes to the 2026 playoff picture.

ESPN placed the Steelers No. 21 overall in the way-too-early power rankings, behind the likes of the Cincinnati Bengals, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts and Washington Commanders.

“Though the Steelers changed from Mike Tomlin to Mike McCarthy at head coach, they still don’t have clarity on the starting quarterback for the 2026 season. But team president and CEO Art Rooney II was clear that he doesn’t view the offseason as an opportunity to rebuild,” ESPN’s Brooke Pryor writes. “Instead, Rooney signaled in his actions and words that he believes his roster is primed to break the drought of playoff success.

“After McCarthy finishes building his staff, the next priority to fulfilling Rooney’s wishes is to identify the next franchise QB — either in the upcoming draft or via a bridge QB until the Steelers can secure their signal caller of the future.”

After McCarthy was named the 17th head coach in franchise history, and just the fourth since 1969, he stated he believes he is taking over a playoff roster. While technically true, considering the Steelers made the playoffs in 2025, a lot is changing for the Black and Gold.

Nearly 30 players are set to hit free agency, and there’s still the question under center regarding Aaron Rodgers’ f or what the Steelers will do in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Though signs seem to be pointing towards Rodgers returning for a second season in Pittsburgh and reuniting with McCarthy, nothing is certain. McCarthy expressed his excitement of working with second-year QB Will Howard, too, so who knows what will happen at QB.

Just don’t call the Steelers in 2026 a rebuild. Team president and owner Art Rooney II made that clear after hiring McCarthy, and by going with a veteran head coach at 62 years old that doesn’t have many years left in the NFL, it’s unlikely the Steelers are going to do a hard reset.

But is the roster good enough to compete again in 2026? That remains to be seen.