The Pittsburgh Steelers enter the offseason in a familiar spot: wondering who will be the team’s quarterback next season. While there is a lot of new for the franchise, with Mike McCarthy taking over for Mike Tomlin, Pittsburgh may not have a new quarterback next year.
Aaron Rodgers hasn’t decided on his future yet, and considering his history of winning a Super Bowl with McCarthy on the Green Bay Packers, the veteran quarterback could decide to run it back with Pittsburgh.
That’s exactly what NFL writer Moe Moton predicted in a recent Bleacher Report piece. Projecting offseason quarterback movement, Moton thinks the 42-year-old quarterback will come back for year two in Pittsburgh. While that may be what the Steelers want, it’s a decision that would put a ton of pressure on the front office to build up the roster enough to avoid a repeat of 2025.
The Pittsburgh Steelers must make significant roster improvements for an Aaron Rodgers return to make sense
Rodgers started 16 games for Pittsburgh in 2025, and the team was 10-6 in those games. The Steelers lost the one game he didn’t start, giving the team a 10-7 record on the season, but they still won the AFC North and made the postseason. However, it was clear Pittsburgh wasn’t a serious contender, getting blown out by the Houston Texans 30-6 in the Wild Card round.
If Rodgers returns for 2026, there is no reason to believe anything would be different, unless the team makes significant changes to the rest of the roster. That’s why his return would put pressure on the Pittsburgh front office. Rolling into another season with Rodgers as QB1 is the team saying that they’re going all in. However, the Steelers don’t have an all-in roster. They would have to change that for a Rodgers return to make sense.
Of course, Pittsburgh needs to improve its roster, regardless, but it’d be understandable if the team took a multi-year approach with a younger quarterback under center. Handing the keys to a young quarterback who’s still figuring things out signifies a rebuild, which buys more time for the organization to figure things out. Running it back with Rodgers means the franchise needs to do everything it can this offseason to build the team into a true contender.