The Pittsburgh Steelers are going through an offseason of change they haven’t seen in nearly two decades. The Steelers had to find a new head coach for only the fourth time since 1969. They also changed their philosophy with that hiring, going from three straight defensive-minded head coaches to an offensive coach in Mike McCarthy. Oddsmakers have taken notice of the sweeping changes, and it’s leaving them very skeptical about the Steelers’ chances of winning the Super Bowl in 2026.
Yahoo Sports senior betting analyst Ben Fawkes looked at a number of sportsbooks, and it’s not pretty.
“The Pittsburgh Steelers have 100-1 odds to win next year’s Super Bowl at some sportsbooks,” Fawkes wrote on Twitter/X. “Those are the franchise’s worst preseason odds in at least 50 years, per @SOHistory.”
The Steelers have had some rough seasons during the last 50 years. Yet oddsmakers still thought more highly of those teams than the current version. The Steelers did have back-to-back losing seasons in the 1980s (85-86) and the 1990s (98-99). Plus, that streak in the 1980s also featured a third losing season out of four (88).
Yet those teams were all led by respected coaches who guided the Steelers to multiple playoff berths previously. Legendary head coach Chuck Noll was the head coach in the 80s, and he won four Super Bowls in the 70s. Bill Cowher oversaw those back-to-back losing seasons in the 90s.
New Steelers head coach Mike McCarthy does have a Super Bowl title and multiple playoff wins under his belt. However, this is his first year in charge in Pittsburgh. It’s going to take time to implement his offensive system. Plus, it’ll take time for the new defensive coordinator Patrick Graham to establish his system and get on the same page as his players.
So, it is understandable that the sportsbooks don’t feel all that confident in the Steelers. There are a lot more questions than answers about the team at the moment. Will QB Aaron Rodgers be back? Many people, including Noll’s four-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback, Terry Bradshaw, believe so.
However, even if Rodgers comes back and reunites with his old head coach, he’s 42 years old right now. How effective will he be this season? Yet, what are their options if it isn’t Rodgers? Will they turn to Mason Rudolph? Or will McCarthy prepare Will Howard to be ready for this season?
It’s shocking to see the Steelers ranked so low, especially against some of the lean years in the team’s history. However, with the sheer number of unanswered questions right now, it’s hard to argue against it.