Aaron Rodgers re-signs with the Pittsburgh Steelers; expectations for 2026

Aaron Rodgers is returning to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Over the weekend, it was announced that the four-time MVP had put pen to paper to a new one-year deal with the organisation.

It has been an offseason of change in Pittsburgh, with legendary head coach Mike Tomlin stepping down from the role after 19 seasons in the helm. However, one thing that hasn’t change is that Rodgers will be suiting up under center for the six-time Super Bowl champions.

Going into the 2026 campaign, how could their season go down?

Rodgers reunites with Mike McCarthy’ a fresh voice all the Steelers needed?

Mike McCarthy was announced as Tomlin’s replacement. The former Green Bay Packers head coach, who later moved to the Dallas Cowboys in the same role, spent over 10 years working alongside Rodgers.

Their time together in Wisconsin may have come to a disappointing end, but they won Super Bowl XLV together.

Tomlin had a remarkable record at the Steelers, never having a losing season in any of those 19 campaigns. Despite this, things felt a bit stale in the organisation, in spite of them reaching yet another postseason despite struggles on the field.

Some feel that McCarthy wasted the talent of Rodgers, but there is no doubting that he brings some level of stability to the teams he has coached. He guided the Packers to nine postseason berths in 13 seasons and helped the Cowboys reach the playoffs in three of his five seasons with the team. His 174-112-2 record speaks for itself.

Whilst there have been a catalogue of disappointing playoff losses for McCarthy in his head coaching career, he still warrants a lot of respect for what he has done in his career.

Sometimes, in any sport, a fresh voice is all a team needs, even if a coach is not as talented as the one that preceded them.

The San Francisco 49ers hired George Seifert in 1989 to replace legendary head coach Bill Walsh, who had won three Super Bowls with the franchise. In his first season with the team, he went on to win Super Bowl XXIV with what many called ‘Walsh’s team”. He did go on to win another Lombardi Trophy five years later, but his first season is a great example of a fresh voice being exactly what a team needs.

It is not expected that McCarthy will win a Super Bowl with the Steelers in 2026, or even a playoff game, but nobody had the Seattle Seahawks winning it all before the start of last season. For a team that reached playoffs time after time with clear deficiencies, along with a head coach and quarterback that are already familiar with each other, you just never know.

The strengths and weaknesses of the Steelers roster

The Steelers added reliable wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr in the offseason to join a room already featuring DK Metcalf. With these two and tight end Pat Freiermuth to throw to, Rodgers has a good set of weapons available at his disposal.

Whilst the defense has some ageing veterans, such as T.J. Watt, Jalen Ramsey and Cam Heyward, the likes of Patrick Queen,  Joey Porter Jr and DeShon Elliot have the talent on their day to make this unit reliable. Finishing 2025 ranking 29th against the pass and 13th against the run made for a very imbalanced defense.

New defensive coordinator Patrick Graham’s four seasons as Las Vegas raiders defensive coordinator prior to being appointed with the Steelers in January should be a worry. They finished 14th against the pass in 2025, an improvement on Pittsburgh’s ranking,  but they were also 17th against the run.

In conclusion, the Steelers, who are also in a tough division, are unlikely to challenge for any Super Bowls, but given they reached the playoffs with similar issues in 2025 and McCarthy’s success at reaching the playoffs, another 9-8 season could be expected.

McCarthy has missed the playoff in his first season at both the Packers and Cowboys. A 2026 schedule featuring games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Philadelphia Eagles, Denver Broncos, Jacksonville Jaguars, Carolina Panthers, Houston Texans, Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals could make it tough for the team to avoid history repeating itself.

Andy Davies