It is almost certainly championship-or-bust for Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh Steelers.
Tomlin has never delivered a losing season, and is known to demand high standards of his players – and sometimes efforts boil over, not least when the pressure is on the QB to deliver.
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Rodgers has joined the Steelers to try and lead them to Super Bowl victoryCredit: Getty
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Tomlin has come under fire in recent years and the 2025 season may prove to be his last chance to remain as Steelers HCCredit: Getty
After a string of moves in the offseason, headlined by the arrival of four-time NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers, all eyes will be on the Black and Gold to deliver, just as it was in 2024 with high profile names under center.
Tomlin has to contend with a quarterback who is already dividing opinion as he tries to turn postseason appearances into playoff victories.
With training camp about to get underway he doesn’t need to look too far to see how things can get tense.
Rewind 12 months and the arrivals of both Russell Wilson and Justin Fields – who have now departed to to the New York Giants and New York Jets, respectively – meant all eyes were on the Steelers.
Before the 2024 campaign, Pittsburgh’s preparations got a little too intense when a huge brawl ensued at training camp between teammates.
Rookie linemen Troy Fautanu and Mason McCormick went to bat for Fields after he was hit too late – and a little too hard – when scrambling on a run by LB Elandon Roberts and DB Beanie Bishop.
The Steelers are known to do live tackling at camp, but tackling the quarterback, however, is a big no no.
Though tempers boiled over quickly in that particular instance, tempers subsided just as quickly, with teammates seen shaking hands soon after.
Brawls are not that uncommon between teams at training camp, with new Steelers WR Metcalf having been involved in one himself in August 2024 when he swung his helmet at one of his Seattle Seahawks teammates.
In fact, sometimes players are praised for how they stick up for their teammates, especially when it comes to defending their quarterback, Steelers defensive star had another way to describe it.
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The Steelers were involved in a training camp brawl in 2024Credit: X: @Alex_Kozora
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A late hit on then-Steelers QB Fields sparked the intra-squad brawl in 2024Credit: Getty
“Stoke the fire a little bit and see what we are as a team,” he said, via Still Curtain.
Tomlin deemed it to be a ‘learning experience’.
“There’s a lot of lessons to be learned — some formal, some informal,” Tomlin said per Yahoo Sports’ Jori Epstein.
“We got a little bit less than professional and chippy; an opportunity to teach and learn. As much as we hate it, we’ll learn and grow from that.”
This new look Steelers outfit with Rodgers – who is suggested to be a one-year placeholder for a $6.5 million college superstar – at the helm may prove to be decisive for the future of head coach Tomlin as well.
Tomlin has come under fire in recent seasons for a lack of post-season success, with the Steelers having not won a playoff game since 2016.
So far it’s been a busy offseason, with the team trading for wide receiver Metcalf, adding Darius Slay Jr and trading with the Miami Dolphins for All-Pro corner Jalen Ramsey to bolster their defense, with Minkah Fitzpatrick heading the other way.
Pro Bowl tight end Jonnu Smith also came across to Pittsburgh in the trade, giving Rodgers another much-needed weapon on offense.
The Steel City will be without controversial receiver George Pickens, though, after they sent him packing to the Dallas Cowboys.
With training camp fast approaching, the Steelers will be looking to bounce back after a somewhat disappointing 2024 campaign when they only just managed to just scrape through to the playoffs as an AFC wildcard.
This came following four straight losses to end the season, and finishing with a 10-7 record, which saw their division rivals, the Baltimore Ravens, clinch the AFC North title as a result.
They then fell at the first hurdle to the 12-6 Buffalo Bills, losing in dominant fashion 31-17.
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Rodgers – who is more than likely entering the final year of his career – will be hoping his new teammates will go to battle for him, should he ever find himself needing to be defended.
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